


Spiderman, Cosignee

by Ronan Vespertine (Akina1521)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Aunt May does not approve of Spiderman, Aunt May does not approve of Tony Stark, Gen, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Peter is a liar, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spiderman cosigns the Accords with Iron Man, Spiderman is a tense topic with the Parkers, unfortunately but he has his reasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 02:50:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18730225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akina1521/pseuds/Ronan%20Vespertine
Summary: Spiderman has the people's trust. But after watching a video in class discussing the reasons behind the Sokovia Accords, Peter starts to wonder if he can—rather, should—keep avoiding the legislation.He still has the issue of concealing his identity. But what if there was a way to sign the Accords without giving Peter Parker away?





	1. The Sound of Knocking

_ “Hey, Spiderman was a few blocks away during 4th period.” _

_ “Seriously?” _

_ “Yeah! He stopped a robbery at that candy shop over on Roosevelt.” _

Peter quickly walked out of the empty classroom and blended into the crowd of students, heading to the cafeteria. He double-checked that his backpack was fully closed before trying one last attempt to wipe the sweat off of his forehead. The job had been a dangerous one. Fighting crooks in confined spaces always required 100% focus- otherwise he’d be making a trip to the ER.

The junior strolled into the cafeteria, where it was already crowded with half of the student body lining up for food. He quickly grabbed a tray and headed to the usual table. Ned was already there, half finished with his meal while watching a video on his phone. As Peter sat down, he noticed it was a video of the candy store robbery.

“Dude, you didn’t tell me you were going to stop a robbery when you ditched class!” Ned exclaimed, shoving the video in his friend’s face. Peter recoiled, drawing his head back as he caught a glimpse of his blurry figure bouncing around inside the candy shop. “Ms. Becker was wondering why you were taking so long to get your books from your locker!”

“I didn’t  _ plan _ on stopping a robbery, I was actually going to get my books,” Peter retorted, shoving Ned’s phone away. He started digging into his grilled cheese sandwich. “At least I was able to get back in time for lunch.”

The two boys talked for a bit about the robbery and the comments under the video. About ten minutes later, Peter looked up as someone slid into the space in front of them. He raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, MJ.”

MJ ignored him, choosing to lay out her lunch from home. Once she dug in, she set her stony gaze on the two boys in front of her.

“I see you two are discussing our resident outlaw,” she observed. Peter blinked. Ned scoffed.

“No, we’re talking about Spiderman,” Ned said. MJ rolled her eyes.

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I said.”

Ned and Peter exchanged a confused glance. Peter’s best friend leaned forward, frowning at the girl in front of them. “Uh, I don’t know if you noticed, MJ,” Ned remarked dryly, “but Spidey’s a  _ hero?” _

“Not if he’s operating outside of the law.”

“Wait, wait, you think Spiderman’s an  _ outlaw _ ?” Peter asked incredulously. MJ’s eyes flicked to his.

“He hasn’t signed the Sokovia Accords.”

“What, that’s it?” Ned retorted, appalled. “MJ, Spiderman’s saving  _ lives _ out there.”

“But he’s no exception to the law. Have you seen our current government? People need to be held accountable for their actions, and Spider-Boy is no exception.”

Peter sat still as MJ and Ned argued back and forth, unnerved. He had been aware of some people’s displeasure about his alter-ego, but never had someone close to him voiced as such. It made him feel uneasy.

“I….I didn’t know you thought that way about Spiderman,” Peter remarked slowly. MJ sniffed.

“Well, I do think he’s a good guy,” MJ rectified. “But I’ve been hearing some talk about how Mr. Mason is going to be teaching us about the Sokovia Accords today. People say he’s gonna show a video explaining it. Spiderman was mentioned, and it got people talking. I didn’t even realized he hadn’t signed it until today. It’s the only reason why I read the stupid pile of patchwork.”

“Wait, we’re watching a video in Mason’s class?!”

“Yeah, loser, keep up.”

* * *

 

When lunch ended, the trio headed back into the bustling hallways for their next class with Mr. Mason. As they approached the classroom, Peter became aware of raised voices inside.

“I can’t believe people think Spiderman’s a criminal!” Flash complained loudly. Peter and his friends shuffled inside, taking stock of the situation. Flash was sitting on one of the desks, surrounded by many of their classmates as they all agreed with him. “He’s been doing nothing but saving people!”

“He’s operating outside of the law,” MJ declared loudly. Peter cringed as everyone’s attention suddenly snapped to the three in the doorway. Flash narrowed his eyes at her.

“Who  _ cares _ if he isn’t following some rule book? He’s been doing more than the police do, and  _ they  _ follow the law!”

“On the contrary, Spiderman actually does a lot less than the NYPD,” MJ countered, leaving the three behind as she stalked forward to confront the jock. Peter sucked in a breath and reached out, intending to reign MJ back in. But before he could, Ned grabbed his other hand, hissing “Nope!” as he forcefully dragged Peter to their seats in the back of the class. As they slid into their seats, Peter turned to Ned.

“We can’t just leave MJ!”

“Peter, you know her. Once MJ sets her mind on something, there’s no changing it. Besides, she can hold her own!”

“She’s outnumbered!”

“When has that ever bothered her?”

Sure enough, MJ was getting into a heated debate with the rest of the class. Peter watched fearfully as the group unconsciously pressed into her space, pressuring her. But true to Ned’s word, MJ’s fiery spirit could not be contained.

“Look, Michelle, everyone here thinks Spidey’s the real deal. Why do you always have to find something wrong with everything?”

“Because I am not comfortable with an enhanced individual running around without a leash!”

“Jeez, Michelle, it’s literally you against everyone in this class. Even the nerds back there agree with us!”

On cue, everyone’s head swiveled to look at Peter and Ned. Peter flinched under the sudden attention.

“I—uh—”

“Duh!” Ned answered without hesitation. He glared at MJ. “Spiderman’s the best! Who cares if he isn’t following any rules? If he wants to keep his identity secret, he should be free to do so!”

MJ snorted.

“Where does it say he has that right? Everyone needs to be held accountable for their actions. Especially superheroes. Imagine if something like Sokovia happened again?” At Ned’s silence, MJ turned her fierce gaze to Peter. Peter felt uncomfortable. There was something unidentified in her eyes as she addressed him.

“What do you think, Peter? Should Spiderman sign the Sokovia Accords?”

Peter hesitated. The class was suddenly silent as they waited for Peter’s answer. As he frantically thought of an answer, he could feel Ned’s astonishment at his hesitation.

“Dude! You can’t possibly agree with her!” Ned exclaimed. The rest of the class also voiced their displeasure. Peter blinked. Was it just him, or did MJ look at him in approval?

“I don’t know, okay?! I don’t—I don’t really  _ know _ anything about the Accords! I can’t make a judgement if I don’t know what we’re talking about!” Peter yelped, frustrated. 

Peter could  _ feel _ the atmosphere in the room charge up again. Just before everyone could start yelling at each other again, there was a series of loud claps at the front of the classroom.

“Parker’s right, everyone!” Mr. Mason announced, effectively silencing the class. “It’s not right to make judgements when you haven’t learned about the topic at hand. Which is  _ why _ we are going to be learning about the Sokovia Accords today. Everyone, back in your seats! Then we’ll start the class.”

There was low mumbling as everyone headed for their desks. While the commotion died down, Ned pulled Peter close to him.

“I thought you didn’t want people knowing who you were!” Ned hissed. Peter freed his arm from Ned’s rough grip.

“I  _ don’t _ .”

“Then why were you taking MJ’s side?”

“I wasn’t taking her side! I was just saying I don’t know! She has a point. I  _ am _ basically a criminal.”

“But you  _ save _ people!”

“Alright, class,” Mr. Mason boomed, taking back their attention. He was setting up the projector as he spoke. “We have a short period today, but I want to review what we’ve been discussing about the Accords yesterday. Anyone care to summarize the important points about them?” When no one raised their hands, Mr. Mason looked up and scanned the room. His gaze landed on Peter.

“Parker. You had an interesting perspective about our local hero. We’ll start with you. What are the Accords? Why were they created?”

Peter sighed. Curse his Parker Luck.

“The Sokovia Accords is a bunch of legislation created by the United Nations after the events of Sokovia and Lagos,” Peter answered dutifully. He twirled his pencil in his hand, calming his hesitation. Peter recalled the statistics they learned yesterday, which had his blood running cold.

“In….In Sokovia, while the Avengers fought Ultron, 177 lives were lost. There was $474 billion worth of property damage. And the country was destroyed. In Lagos, during an undercover operation, the Scarlet Witch killed 26 civilians. The United Nations said that the Avengers had no legal authority to be operating outside of America, and that they should be held responsible for the damage they caused. Thus, the Sokovia Accords were born, created to hold heroes accountable for their actions.”

“Good. Now tell me. What do the Accords require?”

Peter tapped his eraser against the desk nervously. Out of the corner of his eye, he could sense MJ staring at him.

“Under the Accords, heroes are not allowed to operate outside of their country’s borders without the consent of their government or a UN subcommittee,” Peter answered quickly. “Heroes also have to register with the United Nations, revealing their true identities. For people like Tony Stark, who use technology to give themselves superhuman capabilities, their tech is strictly regulated. Self-aware artificial intelligence, like Ultron and Vision, is completely prohibited.” Peter took a deep breath.

“For enhanced individuals,” he continued slowly, dread creeping into him. “Not only do they have to reveal their true identities, but they have to consent to testing. They need to undergo a power analysis, which categorizes their threat level, and provide the UN with fingerprints, DNA samples, and whatever else is requested.” Peter could sense Ned’s surprise beside him. “Additionally, they’d have to wear a tracking bracelet at all times.”

“Very good, Parker!” Mr. Mason complimented, impressed. Peter was brought out his daze to find the entire class looking at him in awe. “I’m surprised. You said you didn’t know anything about the Accords, but you covered things I didn’t include in the lesson plan. Where’d you learn that?”

“...The news?” he squeaked.

“Well, you must be paying rapt attention to your TV screen, then.” Mr. Mason continued to address the class. Peter felt Ned lean into his space.

“Is that true?” Ned whispered, scandalized. He wrinkled his nose. “You’d have to become a lab experiment?”

“Yeah.”

“Dude. No wonder you want to keep your identity secret. But then why would you side with MJ?” Peter averted his eyes.

“If Mr. Stark really believes the Accords are worth fighting the Rogue Avengers, then I have to at least consider it,” he mumbled. Ned gave him a weird look, but before he could question him further, Mr. Mason regained their attention.

“So I’ve found a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm1cPHZbDPI) to explain the controversy surrounding the Accords,” Mr. Mason said, pulling up a YouTube video. At the mention of the video, the entire class perked up. “It mainly deals with the issue of accountability. Parker already explained it pretty well, but I want you all to think a bit deeper with this video. Take notes, because I’m expecting a one-page response to this video the next time we meet.” There was a series of groans as Mr. Mason hit the play button.

The video opened with the introductory montage of the channel. Peter opened his notebook, getting ready to take notes. Onscreen, mugshots of the Rogue Avengers came up. Peter pressed his lips together at the unflattering picture of Captain America, his usual glory stripped away.

_ “It’s been a year since Captain America and his faction of the Avengers left and became outlaws after refusing to sign the Accords,” _ one of the narrating voices said. _ “But even after repeated calls from the United Nations for enhanced individuals to sign, the roster only contains the names of big names like Tony Stark and King T’Challa. And there are still quite a few heroes out there roaming free. What do you think about that, Sam?” _

_ “Well, the Sokovia Accords were intended for those that carry their heroism outside of their country’s borders, like the Avengers. I don’t think there’s a problem with some heroes not signing. But I’m guessing you do, Rocky?” _

_ “Let me play devil’s advocate for a while. The Accords are about reigning in foreign individuals from wreaking havoc in another country and holding them accountable for their actions. On the political side of things, heroes trespassing over borders and destroying cities in the name of heroism are technically considered terrorists.” _

The class broke out in murmurs. Peter pressed his lips together in a thin line.

_ “What? No way!” _

_ “Yes, way. Think about it. Say a group of civilians decide to band together. Normal humans. They see something they think they should get involved in, but it’s in another country. They go in, maybe damaging some infrastructure and possibly killing a few civilians, without informing that country’s government. Then they leave. Let’s say… 17 dead, many more wounded, and a few fallen buildings.” _

_ “That’s an unfortunate outcome. But surely the government will understand that it was for the greater good?” _

_ “And what if I tell you that the group was actually a terrorist cell and that their supposed ‘heroic duty’ was to ‘purge the earth of nonbelievers’?” _

_ “That’s a totally different story!” _

_ “Not quite. You see, ‘heroic duty’ is basically a party’s self-interest. An agenda. If we ignore moral codes for a bit, we could say that we agree with the Avengers’ agenda, but not the Ten Rings. Capiche?” _

_ “I see what you’re saying here. But what’s that got to do with the Sokovia Accords?” _

_ “The Avengers and the Ten Rings are basically parties of self-interest. Each have their own agenda. If there was no such thing as sovereignty, both would be free to carry out their agendas regardless of borders.” _

_ “That’s good for the Avengers, but I wouldn’t want the Ten Rings roaming around in our neighborhood. So why not just let the Avengers pass through and block the Ten Rings from strolling in?” _

_ “That’s exactly my point. Permission. Powerful parties aiming to act on an agenda in a foreign country where they have no right to do so need permission.” _

_ “Alright, but not having permission hasn’t really stopped the Ten Rings from waltzing around, has it?” _

_ “Right. But these are the Avengers. A group of superheroes that are acting for the common good. They should be willing to cooperate with us, because they’re the good guys.” _

_ “So open communication is key here. But why exactly do we need a document to give the Avengers permission to cross borders? Can’t we just give them, like, an international passport?” _

_ “It all comes back to agenda, Sam. The Avengers’ agenda is to fight evil. But at what cost? We all know what happened in Sokovia. There was a high death toll.” _

_ “There was. One hundred seventy-seven dead.” _

_ “So let’s say that a powerful group like the Avengers is allowed to run free. No limitations. They advance their agenda, but hold no regard for the lives lost in the pursuit of it.” _

_ “But the Avengers do care, don’t they?” _

_ “Perhaps. But is caring enough? You know about the issue of gun control in America, right? We all mourn those lives lost in various shootings, but are thoughts and prayers enough? Is caring about human lives enough to stop them from being lost? No. We need more to stop those shootings. In the same way that we need more that just the Avengers’ concern for civilian lives to save them.” _

_ “I see your point. So the Sokovia Accords is the ‘more’ here, right?” _

_ “Indeed. The Accords hold the Avengers responsible for the damage they cause. They also limit their actions so they can’t go about willy nilly with reckless abandon. Plan out their attacks. All to reduce their negative impacts.” _

_ “I see. So in a way, you could say the Accords are supposed to help the Avengers by forcing them to cooperate with governments and restrict their actions so there are less lives lost in the process of fighting evil.” _

_ “That’s right. Accountability for a lower death toll.” _

_ “Well then, that makes total sense! So why do you think Captain America disagreed?” _

_ “Who knows? Maybe the guy likes his independence? Either way, he’s an outlaw now.” _

_ “But coming back to the question of who’s signed the Accords. Do you think all enhanced individuals should sign?” _

_ “Yes. The Avengers shouldn’t be given special treatment. Everyone has to be held accountable for their actions to protect the people. And there are quite a few vigilantes out there that have a rather… questionable approach to justice.” _

_ “Like Daredevil and the Punisher?” _

_ “Exactly. It’s murder if the criminals, regardless of how bad they are, are judged without trial. And vigilantes have no authority, nor the right, to be the judge.” _

Peter gulped. The room suddenly felt too small. Too restrictive.

_ “But what about, say, New York City’s Spiderman? He’s not that bad. The people love him there! He helps old ladies cross streets, saves cats from trees, guides lost children home. He’s an angel!” _

_ “Yeah, I agree. Spiderman’s one of the best superheroes around. He hardly has a flaw on his record. Actually, I don’t think there has been a single casualty attributed to his name.” _

_ “Should he sign the Accords?” _

_ “Well, yes. I love the mystery behind Spiderman, but the guy’s an enhanced individual. He’s gotta abide by the law. And although he’s got a pretty clean record, there have been times when things got a little too close for comfort. Take the Vulture incident last year, for example. We know how deadly a plane crashing into a building is, unfortunately, due to 9/11. What if he hadn’t turned that plane?” _

Peter thought back to the terrifying fight in the air on Homecoming night. At the time, he had been preoccupied with staying alive on top of a crashing plane. But when they were getting closer to the city, Peter had felt an intense fear running through his bones at the sheer number of lights turned on in the skyscrapers they would have crashed into.

And the thousands of people who were probably inside, unaware of the threat to their lives.

_ “You’re right. But he did turn the plane. That’s gotta be something, right? He’s got a good heart.” _

_ “Yeah. I believe Spiderman’s a good guy. I believe in him because he’s definitely proven himself. We shouldn’t fear him at all. But still, there shouldn’t be exceptions. One day, Spiderman’s vigilantism is gonna cause someone’s death, and he’ll need to be held accountable for it.” _

Peter shivered. The memory of his body being stretched as he tried to hold two halves of a ferry together unwillingly popped up. He shivered as the ghosts of a confrontation floated up to his mind.

**_“What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? Because that’s on_ ** **_you_ ** **_.”_ **

Only Peter heard the snap of lead on paper.

_ “He’s a good guy, though.” _

_ “Yeah. He’s good. I’m sure he’ll do everything in his power to prevent any loss of life. Spiderman’s a real hero, so I trust he’ll do the right thing and eventually sign the Accords.” _

_ “Right.” _

The video ended. The class immediately broke out into a debate. Peter spaced out, trapped in his own mind as the bell rang and Mr. Mason started to explain their homework.

* * *

 

“Dude, you okay? You’ve been spacing out since Mason’s class.”

Peter smiled faintly at Ned as they exited the school. School had ended early today, so Peter was planning on patrolling immediately. However, the discussion about the Accords was still haunting his mind.

“I’m cool. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“You know you don’t have to worry about the stupid Accords, right? It’s not like they’re going to do anything to you.”

“I know.” Peter sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll get my mind off of it once I start patrolling.”

Suddenly, his phone started to ring. The words  _ “don’t worry, be happy!” _ rang out on the steps of the school. Peter quickly bid goodbye to his best friend, hurriedly pulling out his phone to answer the call as he clambered down the steps of Midtown.

“Hey, Happy!” Peter greeted cheerily. It wasn’t often that he got a call from the security guard. “What’s up? Mr. Stark need me for anything?”

_ “Kid,” _ Happy started. Peter hesitated at the grave tone of his voice.  _ “Tony just told me to warn you. He just got called into an important meeting with some government officials about the Accords.” _

“Oh.” Peter made his way onto the streets, glancing around for a suitable alley to change in. He found one and started walking toward it. “So lab day is cancelled?”

_ “Yeah, he postponed until next week. But that’s not all.” _ Peter heard Happy let out a deep sigh. _ “They’re looking for you.” _

Peter’s blood ran cold.

“Who?”

_ “The American government. They started taking interest in New York City vigilantes, for some reason. Apparently, they’re running off a lead that Cap and his friends are taking refuge with vigilantes. Which is utter bullshit. Tony just got called in because they know he’s been in contact with Spiderman. It’s gonna be tough to fight his way out of this one.” _

Guilt started to eat at him.

“I—I’m so sorry—”

_ “Don’t apologize, kid. Boss is used to clashing with them. I’d even say he enjoys it.” _

“Oh. Okay,” Peter mumbled. He reached the alley and headed in, glancing around for cameras and prying eyes. “Well, if you need anything-”

_ “There’s not much you can do here, kid. Just keep a low profile for a while. Got it?” _

“Got it.” Peter decided it was safe to change. He dropped his backpack on the floor, opening it to reveal the red and blue costume stuffed inside. “I gotta go. I’m patrolling today.”

_ “Be careful, kid.” _ With that, Happy hung up. Peter stuffed his phone into his bag then pulled out the suit, unable to control the heavy sigh that escaped. Frowning at himself, Peter took a moment to slap himself. Huffing, he shoved the issue of the Accords to the back of his head.

“Alright! Time to go Spidermanning!”

* * *

 

It had been a good patrol. There had been loads of trouble in the city. The day’s activities seemed to revolve around a theme of misplacement. Lost pets, lost children, lost purses. Peter may not have gotten much combative action, but he was happy. He had helped a lot of New York citizens today. And gotten some free food.

Peter was in the middle of enjoying a hot dog (courtesy of a hot dog vendor) when Tony’s caller ID flashed across the screen. Surprised, Peter quickly swallowed his bite as Karen patched the call through without his command. Strange.

“What’s up, Mr. St—?”

_ “Kid, where are you?” _ Peter frowned. Despite his deceptively calm demeanor, Tony’s voice had an edge to it.

“I’m a mile out from the old tower? Eating a hot dog. I saved the vendor’s cart from rolling into the street while he was—”

_ “Shit. Kid, you gotta get out of there.” _

“What? Why—?”

Peter’s Spidey Sense suddenly flared. He leaped off of the roof recklessly, flipping upside down in mid-air just in time to catch the whizz of something flying straight through the space he just occupied moments before. He paled. Shooting a web, Peter started to quickly fly through the streets.

“Mr. Stark?! What’s happening?!”

_ “FRIDAY, pull up the kid’s tracker,” _ Peter heard Tony muttered to himself, then curse.

_ “Oh, god.” _

“What?”

_ “You’re surrounded by FBI agents. Pete, get out of there now!” _

Peter’s Spidey Sense flared dangerously once again, and this time, it didn’t stop. Peter instinctively dropped away from his web mid-swing, narrowing missing a dart that nicked the top of his head. With a grunt, he crashed into an intersection. Thankfully, only foot traffic was permitted. Peter scrambled to his feet as people started murmuring in surprise and taking pictures.

“Freeze!”

Spiderman heard a plethora of footsteps pounding through the crowds. He quickly swung away, narrowly avoiding the lunge of a field agent that appeared out of nowhere. As soon as he was airborne, he heard the whizzing of several darts.

“Oh, shit!”

Relying on his senses, Peter maneuvered himself so that he avoided most of the darts. One of them managed to dig into his hip. Peter tugged it out immediately, biting back a sharp cry.

“Karen?”

_ “They seem to be using tranquilizers. According to the make up and the dosage, it’s strong enough to knock out Captain America in minutes.” _

_ “Don’t get hit, kid.” _

“No  _ shit!  _ Why aren’t you helping me?!”

_ “Because they’ll stuff me behind bars if I do,” _ Tony hissed, his voice raising an octave in his panic. _ “My hands are tied.” _

Peter let out a string of colorful curses. He started making tight turns around the city, keeping to denser areas. Vaguely, he could hear several distinct vehicles in the nearby vicinity that seemed to be changing course to follow his movements.

“Karen, I’m hearing cars following me.”

_ “Searching through city surveillance systems to pinpoint tailing vehicles.” _

“Can you get me positions on my snipers?”

_ “Will do, Peter.” _

Peter found himself suspended in mid-air after a particularly hard turn. Several darts dug into his back. He let out a cry as he fell toward the streets.

_ “Pete!” _

_ “Three darts have been embedded in your back. They are beginning to feed their drugs into your system.” _

Peter hastily ripped out the darts from behind him. He crashed on top of a truck, wincing at the dent his body put into the metal. People on the sidewalk burst into confusion as sirens started to blare a few yards behind him.

“Stand down, Spiderman!” a voice demanded from a megaphone.

Peter tossed the darts away. He could vaguely feel some type of numbness starting to spread on his back. He groaned.

_ “Karen, status report,”  _ Tony barked from his communicator. Peter could vaguely hear the strained note in his mentor’s voice. But there were more pressing concerns to deal with at the moment, like the sudden dizziness that was starting to seep into his mind.

_ “Peter was able to remove the darts, but a small amount of the drugs were still injected into his system. With his metabolism, it should begin to hinder his movements within 10 minutes.” _

_ “Pete, Happy’s speeding through New York to get to you. I sent his location over. I want you to get in his car as quickly as you can and shake off your tails.” _

“Easier said than done, Mr. Stark,” Peter grumbled as he got to his feet. A map appeared on the side of his HUD, showcasing Happy’s quickly moving dot. There was a different notification as several markers were drawn up around Peter.

_ “Here are the known locations of grounded snipers based on previous encounters,” _ Karen informed him.  _ “Courtesy of FRIDAY. I’ve also pinpointed several unmarked vehicles that seem to fit standard issue FBI requirements.” _

“Thanks, Karen,” Peter said, quickly observing the data. His Spidey Sense tingled again, and he quickly dove off the truck and onto another vehicle as darts slammed into the metal. Pinpointing the snipers closest to him, Peter jumped, slinging himself through a window and knocking one sniper to the ground. His spotter immediately grabbed his gun, but Peter swung his leg into his neck. The spotter gagged for a bit before slumping to the ground. 

Peter burst out of the unused apartment, leaping out of a hallway window. He scrambled up to the roof of the adjacent building, barely making it over the edge before darts started to pelt him once again. One managed to hit him in the shoulder, ejecting its contents with a hiss. Peter tore it out of him, cursing.

“Shit!”

_ “Peter, if you get hit by one more dart, your body will succumb quickly to the drug’s effects and you will be knocked unconscious within a minute.” _

“Thanks, Karen,” Peter hissed sarcastically, checking for pursuers. “Way to boost my morale. It’s a good thing these guys are horrible shots.”

Peter slung through a few alleys, making his way to a busy business center. People stopped to stare as the vigilante flew high over their heads. Peter hastily checked the maps in his HUD. He had managed to make it to a section of the city where the cars would have trouble following him without running into traffic or one-way streets. The snipers on the ground were probably leagues behind him now. Peter squinted at the last few remaining dots, frowning at their unnatural speed.

“Karen, why are those snipers getting through buildings that quickly?”

_ “It seems the remaining snipers are positioned in the two helicopters flying above you, Peter.” _

“Helicopters?”

Peter looked above him, catching a glimpse of two shadows hovering high in the air. Belatedly, he heard the faint beating of their rotors, but it was fainter than normal.

_ “Are those Black Hawks?” _

_ “The drugs in your system seem to be inhibiting your enhanced senses, which may be the reason behind your uncharacteristic lack of awareness for your surroundings. There has already been a significant deterioration to your motor movements. You have less than 3 minutes left before you are knocked unconscious.” _

Peter heard the familiar sound of armor assembling in his ears.

“Mr. Stark, no.”

_ “Kid, you’re in over your head, I’ll be coming in a minute to get you-” _

“Mr. Stark, I can get to Happy! There’s no need to risk yourself like this!” At Tony’s hesitation, Peter continued, dropping underneath an awning over a bodega for a moment’s reprieve. “You can help by making sure Happy gets away from all the FBI agents once I’m conked out in his car. Okay?”

_ “...okay, kid.” _

Peter didn’t have time to register the relief before the sidewalk started lighting up with gunshots. People screamed as they ran away. Peter grit his teeth, swinging up to a nearby roof while dodging the shots.

_ “The agents have resorted to live bullets.” _

“I  _ know  _ that, Karen!”

Peter squinted at one of the helicopters for a split second, doing some calculations, before leaping. His Spidey Sense screamed, and Peter bit back another cry as a bullet tore into his side. Shooting a web towards one of the helicopter’s legs, Peter swung himself up, narrowly missing the deadly rotors and tipping the helicopter off-balance. He crashed through the co-pilot’s window, knocking both pilots out of commission as he exited through the pilot’s window. The helicopter immediately started to go down, spiraling toward the streets. Peter dropped off the side of the helicopter, fighting a new wave of dizziness as he quickly spun his webs below them. The helicopter crashed harmlessly into the web he hastily made between the city buildings, bits of debris breaking off and falling past the running civilians.

Peter vaguely heard the radio in the helicopter crackling as he crashed into the web next to the wreckage. Checking his wrists, Peter cursed as he realized his webshooters were empty. Peter quickly started swapping containers, registering the vague and watered down noise from the remaining helicopter.

_ “Kid, Happy’s close by. A street over. He can’t get any closer unless he wants to be spotted. You’re gonna have to take that last helicopter down.” _

Peter huffed in annoyance as he went to replace his left webshooter, only to find he was out of web fluid. Cursing, he realized he used most of his stock on the helicopter web and on patrol. 

_ “Peter, you have a minute remaining before the drugs take over your system.” _

Peter looked up as the helicopter started dipping closer to the ground. Hearing the chatter of the radio, Peter realized the remaining agents were wondering if he was down for the count. His mind ran through various forms of action, pressured by the timer off to the side of his vision, before settling on one.

“Karen, can you make sure all surveillance cameras in the area are down? And wipe all footage that has Happy’s car in it.”

_ “FRIDAY’s on it, kid, what are you planning?” _

“I can’t take down that helicopter, so I’m going for a tactical retreat,” Peter muttered. He scrambled into the helicopter, grabbing the still occupants and hurling them outside a good distance away. He vaguely heard the agents above him start firing again, but Peter ignored them in favor of punching a hole in the area where the gas tank should be in the helicopter.

_ “Pete, what the fuck-?” _

“I sure hope this suit is fireproof, Mr. Stark!” Peter quipped before jumping below the webbed up helicopter. He briefly caught sight of the tank catching fire before he was blown off his feet by the helicopter exploding above him. Blazing heat burned his back, singeing the suit. Landing roughly on the asphalt, Peter quickly scrambled to his feet and ducked into a nearby alley, running toward the red dot indicating Happy’s location. None of the agents seemed to have noticed his escape, distracted with the explosion covering him.

Peter saw the timer counting down. He quickly skidded onto the street, crashing into the backseat and ignoring Happy’s horror-stricken face, before giving in to the black spots in his vision and passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey. I’m Ronan. Previously known as Aki-tan. I’m relatively new to AO3, considering this is my first fic on this website, but I’ve been writing fanfics since middle school. Which was, like, I dunno. More than 7 years ago?
> 
> Anyway, this fic has already been entirely written out. It has been sitting in my folders for over a year. It was written pre-Endgame, so during a time when people were still sort of thinking about the Accords and their impact, and wondering how they’d apply to Spiderman.
> 
> I was debating on whether or not to publish it, seeing it’s about a topic that no one probably cares about anymore. But well, I wanted something published. It’s been a long time. And it’s the first time I actually finished an entire story. Granted, it’s only four chapters, but it’s still very much an achievement for me.
> 
> Civil War is pretty much old news, at this point. So let’s not waste time debating. I think we can all agree that it’s just an unfortunate shitstorm of events that just came to an unfortunate end.
> 
> On that note, I hope you enjoy!


	2. A Plan of Action

Peter heard the beeping of his heart monitor before he even registered he was awake. When he opened his eyes, he was staring up at the familiar ceiling of the Avengers Compound medbay. Groggily, he sat up, noting the IV stuck in his arm. He reached over to pull it out.

A firm hand on his wrist stopped him from doing so.

“Nuh-uh. The drug’s still in your system. Super healing or not, we aren’t taking chances.”

Peter looked up to find Tony sitting at his bedside, reading glasses perched on his nose as he balanced a Stark tablet on his lap. Peter relented and sat up, wincing at the pain in his backside. There was a dull throbbing in his side as well. Peter brushed his fingers over it delicately, finding stitches where the bullet wound used to be.

“Impressive, kid. You evaded an entire fleet of FBI agents on your own,” Tony complimented, watching him take stock of his injuries. Peter glanced over at him and smiled.

“Told you I could do it.”

Tony let a fond smile grace his face. The older man reached up and ruffled Peter’s hair, hiding a grin at how Peter’s face brightened and relaxed at the touch.

“Good job, Pete.”

Peter beamed. Tony laughed. He set aside his tablet, plucking the reading glasses off of his nose and placing them on the table. 

Then he sat back and just stared at Peter.

Peter observed the man before him. After the Vulture incident and the Avengers test, Tony had been paying him a bit more attention. Nothing too noteworthy, seeing how adamant Peter was in maintaining his own independence as Spiderman. Peter was allowed to drop by the Compound every two weeks, where Tony would teach him about the tech behind his own Spiderman suit, as long as Peter promised not to disable any features. Peter sucked up the knowledge greedily, to Tony’s amusement. 

Their relationship had progressed well in the months after the vulture. When Aunt May had accidentally found out Peter was Spiderman, the two had descended into a serious fight. Tony always made sure the Compound was open for Peter to escape to during this time, never prying but keeping an eye out for the younger boy. For a length of time, Peter was suspended in uncertainty. What would happen to Spiderman? What would happen between Aunt May and him? How were things going to go from here?

Would Aunt May even understand?

Aunt May was even more furious when Peter had let it slip that Tony had helped out his vigilantism. She pried out every single detail out of Peter, from the suit to Leipzig. Her hatred of Tony Stark had only boiled over, and she threatened to march over to the Avengers Compound to give the billionaire a piece of her mind. It took everything in Peter’s power to reel her in and save Tony from the woman’s wrath.

After a long time, they came to a reluctant truce. Peter would continue to be Spiderman. But in exchange, he had to report everything he did. She became more controlling, more paranoid. Keeping track of his every move. It was suffocating. But that wasn’t the worst part. 

Aunt May wanted him to cut all contact with Tony. 

Peter didn’t want to. He really didn’t want to. But Aunt May was so scared, so stressed over Peter. And he couldn’t do that to her. Not when she was working harder shifts to make up for Uncle Ben’s absence.

Not after she had lost her husband almost a year earlier.

Peter tried to listen to her. He really did. But it tore him apart to stay away from Tony. Especially since Tony was making more of an effort to keep in touch with Peter. He texted every day during his free time, asking how he was doing, if he was running into any problems during patrol, and if he had any new obsessions he had picked up. Even if Peter never answered, Tony never called him out for it. Just continued to try and reach out to Peter, and slowly growing concerned over Peter’s radio silence.

After all the support Tony had given him during the fight, Peter couldn’t do that to him.

So he started to talk to Tony again. (He hadn’t been given much of a choice. Tony forced a call through Karen one day demanding to know why Peter was ignoring him.) He managed to keep his excursions to the Compound a secret. So now, Tony had become a close friend he kept secret from Aunt May.

And he was growing to be more.

Tony was still staring at Peter, seemingly lost in thought. Peter took a deep breath and let it out with a long sigh.

“That mess was all because I haven’t signed the Accords, right?” Peter assumed, breaking the silence. Tony stared at him with an unreadable look in his eye before nodding minutely.

“Yeah.”

“I should just sign,” Peter sighed, plopping back down into the pillows. He stared up at the ceiling in distress. “I mean, if they sent the  _ FBI _ after me—”

“Don’t feel pressured to do things for others, Pete,” Tony interrupted, placing a comforting hand on Peter’s leg. Peter looked over at his mentor, who was smiling softly. “Don’t let them bully you into it. You’re not a doormat. Spiderman is a free spirit who helps people because he chooses to. Don’t take orders from a government.”

“Mr. Stark, it’s  _ international law _ ,” Peter protested. “I’m not running from  _ a _ government, I’m running from  _ multiple _ governments!”

“You don’t operate overseas, kid. That means the American government has sole jurisdiction over you.”

“But  _ you _ got bullied into it.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“I’m an Avenger.”

“So?”

“I deal with threats that could potentially result in millions of casualties,” Tony explained, grinning. “You? You deal with little old ladies and helpless kittens in trees.”

“Haha,” Peter grumbled. “What does threat level have to do with signing papers?”

“It has everything to do with it,” Tony said, leaning forward onto the bed. “The bigger the threat, the less wiggle room the registrees have. Because the risks are higher.”

“They’re not giving me a lot of wiggle room,” Peter muttered. Tony smiled.

“They could.”

“How?”

“Negotiation.”

“Mr. Stark, I suck at haggling.”

Tony laughed.

“Yeah, you do. I hope you’re not thinking of going into business anytime soon.”

The two descended into a thoughtful silence once again.

“Pete,” Tony started. Peter glanced over at his mentor. “You don’t need to sign if you don’t want to. I’ll stick with you regardless.”

“You’re gonna get into trouble.”

“I’m Tony Stark. Trouble is my middle name.”

“You just barely got out of the consequences for Germany, Mr. Stark. I’m not throwing you under the bus.”

There was a pause. Then, Tony reached over and ruffled Peter’s hair fondly.

“You have too big a heart sometimes, kid,” Tony told him. Peter smiled up at him.

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

Tony’s hand slid to Peter’s shoulder and squeezed.

“Regardless, just know that I’m here, okay? You can take advantage of me anytime. For anything.”

“Mr. Stark—”

“I mean it, Peter. If you’re ever in trouble, screw the Accords. I’ll be there in an instant. Okay?”

“...Okay.”

* * *

 

It was all over the news.

_ Spider-Man evades government oversight! _

_ Is the Red Menace finally showing his true colors? _

_ New York vigilante on the run! _

_ Can Spiderman outswing the FBI forever? _

The headlines that bothered Peter the most were about the bystanders.

_ Stray bullets from Spiderman’s run almost killed this woman and her child _

_ Man knocked into a coma after taking a shot meant for Spiderman _

_ Helicopter debris from Spidey’s escape lands 3 people in hospital _

Despite multiple reassurances from Ned and May, Peter knew he had the power to stop this. He found that other New York vigilantes, like Daredevil and Luke Cage, were being pursued in the same fashion. They, however, would not be given the mercy he could be afforded due to their rather violent and illegal means of combating crime. Luke had been evading the FBI easily, according to the reports. With his newly inherited title as a mob boss, Luke navigated the underworld like a fish in water. As for Daredevil, the red vigilante just hadn’t appeared during the chaos.

Spiderman, however, can’t hide. Peter knew he had to do something.

_ Negotiation. _

Peter had to talk to the one person he knew could always get her way in any debate.

“Hey, MJ!”

MJ turned at the sound of her name, dark eyes finding Peter in an instant as he bungled through the afterschool rush in the hallways. She waited patiently for the other boy to catch up with her at the steps of the school.

“What, loser?”

“Can I… Can I talk to you for a second?”

“You’re talking to me right now, aren’t you?”

Peter let out a light chuckle. The two headed down the steps of the school.

“So, uh, about the Accords…”

“What about them?”

“Do you… Is there any way to, y’know, negotiate terms?”

MJ stopped abruptly, whirling around to train her eyes on Peter. Peter froze, face blank so as not to give anything away.

“What do you mean, ‘negotiate’?” she asked slowly. Peter weakly shrugged.

“Well, you know… Negotiate. Like what lawyers do. Haggling the courts for their clients?”

“Plea bargaining.”

“Yes, that!” Peter snapped his fingers, grinning. “Is that possible with the Accords?”

MJ narrowed her eyes.

“Why do you care?”

“Just curiosity. Mr. Mason’s got me thinking about it, y’know? I like learning.”

MJ stared.

“Your bullshit baffles me.”

Peter felt his stomach drop.

“What?”

“We’ve been learning about the Accords since sophomore year when they were first enacted, Parker. Why didn’t you take interest then?”

“B-Because I was busy getting settled into the Stark internship-”

“Even after you became a tool for capitalism, you never showed more than the customary interest in the Accords. What gives?”

Peter felt a flare of indignation spark.

“Neither have you,” Peter retorted, ignoring MJ’s flash of surprise. “Like you said at lunch the other day. You never thought about the Accords until you heard Spiderman didn’t sign. What gives?”

MJ pressed her lips together in a thin line.

“What I care about is none of your business, Parker,” she hissed. Peter smirked.

“Neither is mine. So?”

MJ steadied her fiery eyes on Peter for a few more seconds before sighing. She adjusted her backpack on her shoulder.

“I don’t think so,” MJ confessed, shutting down Peter’s hopes. “This is a committee under the UN. Ant-Man and Hawkeye’s negotiations only added to their terms, not changed it. Negotiations with the UN are only permitted to countries. Unless a country decides to rally behind someone, they aren’t going to listen. And even then, it would be one country against the rest.”

“So theoretically, Spiderman would need the backing of the government?”

“Yeah.” MJ gave him a weird look. “Don’t tell me your buddy Spiderman is asking you to find a way around the Accords.”

“What?” Peter squeaked. MJ continued, ignorant to Peter’s internal panic.

“You said you knew Spiderman.”

“I did? When?”

“Uh, PE last year? Well, technically Ned did. He never appeared at Liz’s party, though.”

“Oh!” Peter remembered the encounter. “Yeah! That! Wait, you believe that?”

“Should I not?”

“Uh, yea—no? I—I don’t—”

“Peter, you need to make up your mind. I have no idea where you stand sometimes.”

“Sorry.”

“Anyway,” MJ sighed, turning around to continue her walk to the school gates. “Unless your spider buddy finds a way to get the backing of the American government, I doubt negotiations are possible. After all, the Accords are all about accountability. Either Spidey sucks it up and legally agrees to be responsible for his actions, or finds some government to do it for him, there’s no way out.”

Something tugged at Peter’s mind.

“Hold on, MJ!” Peter said, grabbing the girl’s arm. MJ threw him an annoyed look over her shoulder.

“What now? Peter, I have to catch the bus.”

“Wait.” Peter ran through MJ’s words in his head. 

_ “...the Accords are all about accountability. Either Spidey sucks it up and legally agrees to be responsible for his actions, or finds some government to do it for him, there’s no way out.” _

_ “Spiderman’s a real hero, so I trust he’ll do the right thing and eventually sign the Accords.” _

Eventually.

_ “You can take advantage of me anytime. For anything.” _

“You know how we’re learning about credit scores and student loans in Ms. Baker’s class?” Peter asked hurriedly. MJ gave him an exasperated look.

“What? What does that have to do with-?”

“Co-signing, MJ.” MJ didn’t say anything, so Peter took that as his cue to continue. “If we take out a student loan for college, we won’t be able to do it by ourselves because we have no credit. So we need to get our parents, or someone else with good credit standing, to co-sign our loans with us.”

“Do you have a  _ point _ , Parker?”

“The Accords are the same thing, aren’t they?” Understanding dawned on MJ’s face. “Accountability, signing away for legal responsibility? MJ, what if Spiderman got someone to co-sign with him?”

“...That  _ might _ work,” MJ mused, frowning thoughtfully. “It doesn’t need to be a government to vouch for him. A cosigner could give him some leeway.”

“So it’s possible?” Peter asked excitedly. MJ frowned at him.

“It’s possible, but who would he cosign with? If he signs with another vigilante, they’re both in the same boat. The UN can’t trust either of them to take the consequences for the other.”

“What if he co-signs with someone who’s already registered?”

MJ mulled over his words for a minute before jerking her head back in disbelief.

“Are you talking about  _ Iron Man _ ?” MJ asked disgustedly. Peter nodded. “Peter, Tony Stark is notorious for butting heads with  _ Congress _ . Hell, people thought he would be the last person to sign the fucking papers. Why would he agree to taking responsibility for a small-time vigilante like Spiderman?”

_ Ouch. _

“Because he cares?”

“From what I’ve seen in the news, Spiderman and Iron Man hardly ever team up. Why would he care?”

“It’s just a thought. But theoretically, is it possible?”

MJ gave him a hard look for a few moments. Then, the look softened.

“...It might,” MJ conceded. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot as she ran over the scenario in her head. “Tony Stark  _ has  _ been complying with the Accords for over a year now. He’s established his credibility with the UN. And as much as I hate to admit it, he’s a fantastic negotiator. Though he’s still on shaky ground, I think. There’s no way Captain America and his cohort could evade Tony Stark if he sets his mind on it. He hasn’t been helping out with enforcing them either, from what I could tell.”

“But if he brings in Spiderman, it’ll boost  _ his _ reputation, won’t it?”

“It would.” MJ gave him an indiscernible look. “But that also means he has motive for forcefully bringing in Spiderman.”

“He wouldn’t.”

MJ leveled a hard stare at him. Suddenly, she shook her head.

“Peter, I know you work for him and that you have the poor insight in deciding on his arrogant ass for a role model. But you have to think this through for your buddy Spiderman. I know I called him a criminal, but I do know he’s a good guy. Are you  _ sure _ Spiderman can trust Tony Stark to not sell him out to save his own ass?”

At the question, Peter’s last remnants of doubt disappeared and he replaced it with a strong faith. Steeling himself, he returned MJ’s stare and smiled.

“I’m sure,” he replied.

MJ observed him for any signs of hesitation. After a moment, she gave him a short nod and let him go. Peter stumbled away, straightening his wrinkled clothes. He didn’t notice the evil look that crossed MJ’s face.

“Well then,  _ Spiderman _ . I look forward to discussing legal loopholes and the power of attorney in the future with you.”

_ “Wait, what—?!” _

* * *

 

Tony observed Peter from the couch as he nervously flitted around the Compound’s kitchen. Peter was raiding the cabinets for more movie snacks despite the fact that his arms were already full with chips and soda. Not to mention the popcorn popping in the microwave. Tony let the boy finish his ridiculous quest in the kitchen, opting to wait until he settled down.

Once the food was set on the coffee table, Peter sat down next to Tony. He grabbed the remote and started flicking through their options, face scrunched in thought. Tony immediately slung an arm over Peter’s shoulders and brought him closer against his chest, testing his reaction. Peter tensed for a moment, then relaxed.

He finally picked a movie. As they settled down and watched, Tony kept an eye on the boy. Peter seemed to be acting normally enough, despite his little case of nerves. He was enjoying the exposition of the show. But Peter was easy to read with his open facial expressions. There was something on his mind. Tony decided to wait until the end of the movie to ask about it.

Once the credits started rolling, Tony felt the nervousness in the boy return. The billionaire distractedly started massaging the young teen’s neck, easing the stiff nerves just as quickly as they arrived. Peter hummed happily and rested his head on Tony’s lap, as he usually did during movie nights.

Tony let the silence roll on for a while before deciding to jump in.

“What’s on your mind, Pete?”

Almost all the tension had been massaged out of the teen’s body. So when he asked the million dollar question, Peter merely sighed and slumped on the couch in defeat.

“Does nothing get past you, Mr. Stark?” he asked half-heartedly. Tony snickered.

“Never.”

“Ha.” Peter stayed silent. Tony let him keep his silence for half a minute before pinching his ear.

“Ow! Mr. Stark, that hurt!”

“You’re not talking, kid. What’s up?”

“It’s—”

“Don’t say it’s nothing. I know there’s something.”

Peter deflated. Tony grinned, smug that he successfully cornered him. After a moment, he prodded again, this time more gently.

“You know you can talk to me, Pete,” Tony murmured in the silence. The curtains had been drawn for the best cinematic experience, leaving the two in almost complete darkness. Only the light from the muted television playing the end credits lit the room. Tony felt Peter exhale on his knee.

“I’ve just been thinking about the Accords.”

“This again? Peter, you know you don’t have to sign—”

“—But I  _ want _ to, Mr. Stark.” 

Tony paused. Peter continued, in a softer voice than before. “I  _ want _ to. The FBI is after me, and they’re hurting innocent civilians just trying to get to me. And it’s not just that. I want people to know that they can trust me. That I’m not like….like Daredevil or some other vigilante they’re scared of. I want them to know that they can trust me to always be there for them, and that I’ll never hurt people if I can help it.”

“Peter,” Tony said slowly, realizing that he was serious. He ran his fingers through Peter’s hair, fighting the fear that was slowly growing in him. “You know the Accords will force you to reveal your identity.”

“I know.”

Tony took a deep breath, head swimming with possibilities. And fearing what he knew to be Peter’s unwavering stubbornness.

“It’s  _ dangerous _ , Pete. You know that. That’s why you didn’t want to sign in the first place. To protect May and your friends.”

“I know, but…” Tony felt Peter hesitate. He frowned.

“What is it, Pete?”

“What if….What if I could negotiate that part of the deal? Do whatever else the Accords ask for, but keep my identity a secret?”

“Kid, there’s no way they’re gonna let you do that.”

“There might be.”

Tony looked down at the bundle on his lap.

“What are you thinking, kid?”

Tony could  _ feel _ the kid’s nervousness increase tenfold.

“I—I’m thinking….What if I co-sign with you?”

The proposition was whispered so quietly that Tony wouldn’t have heard it if the living room wasn’t already silent. Tony didn’t say anything, mulling over Peter’s plan in his head. Peter shifted, turning in Tony’s lap so he was facing the billionaire. His face was taut with apprehension.

“Is it a bad idea?” Peter murmured dejectedly. Tony pursued his lips.

“...No. Actually, that’s a pretty great idea,” Tony admitted. Peter perked up in surprise.

“Really?” he asked breathlessly. Tony looked down at him and smiled proudly.

“Really. That’s an amazing idea, Pete. I never would have thought of that.”

“MJ helped me get there,” Peter murmured bashfully. Tony grinned.

“You can always count on the girlfriend.”

“MJ is not my—”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Pete,” Tony muttered distractedly, drawn back in thought. “Now that you’ve put the idea in my head, I think it might work. I pretty much do everything the Accords will ask for you already.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We’ve already gone through the testing. And I have enough data to categorize your threat level.”

“And you have a tracker on me at all times,” Peter added disdainfully. Tony grinned.

“That too.”

“So? Will it work?”

Tony hummed. Peter frowned up at his mentor.

“Mr. Stark, if you’re hesitating, then…”

“...It’s gonna be hard, kid.” Tony met Peter’s eyes. “We’re basically talking about me embodying your own personal Accords council. I want to keep all your data under my jurisdiction, including the tracking aspect. The UN and the American government won’t be happy about that.”

“Why not give it to them?”

“Peter, if I give them even a single piece of sensitive information on you, whether it be biometric samples or just your plain day-to-day life, it’ll be child’s play to track you down.”

“Would the government do that?”

“Maybe.” Definitely. Tony could think of one particular asshole who would be all over it. “But I’m not worried about the UN. Government files are laughably easy to hack into. The most dangerous people are the ones who can do so. And they’ll have a clean cut route to you.”

“Why would they care about me, Mr. Stark?”

Tony smiled balefully to himself. The kid was so oblivious sometimes.

“Because the second Tony Stark co-signs with you, you forge a connection to him. People know what kind of person I am. I wouldn’t sign for some random vigilante. Everyone will know we have some sort of personal connection to each other. And they’ll use that to their advantage.”

“So it’s going to be even more dangerous?” Peter asked in a hushed tone. Tony sighed.

“...In a way, yes. But that’s only if we let them get your data.”

“What are we gonna do, Mr. Stark?”

“ _ You _ will leave that to me,” Tony ordered firmly, stabbing a finger into Peter’s shoulder. Peter frowned.

“But—”

“No ‘buts’. Besides, you have something of your own to worry about if you really want to go through with this.”

“What do you mean?”

“How are you going to explain Spiderman and Iron Man co-signing the Accords to your aunt?” Tony asked gently. Peter’s eyes widened. Tony smiled as he watched the color drain out of Peter’s cheeks. “Hadn’t thought that far, now, have we?”

“Oh,  _ shit _ ,” Peter hissed.

“Language,” Tony teased. Peter ignored him.

“Crap, you’re right!” Peter exclaimed jumping to his feet. He started to pace, much to Tony’s amusement. “I can’t explain this to her. It’s impossible!”

“Kid, nothing is impossible.”

“This is! She’s gonna know I’ve been lying to her all this time about staying away from you!” Peter ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Can we keep the whole thing under wraps?”

“Sorry, kid. Anything to do with me will always be publicized, whether I like it or not. Plus, the Accords council will want some good publicity. Having Spiderman under their belt will bring up public opinion.”

“Oh, man!”

“Peter,” Tony called. Peter whirled around, eyes wide with fear. Tony smiled fondly. “Do you want me to talk to her?”

“No! No, no, that’s okay, Mr. Stark. You’ve already done so much for me. And besides,” Peter winced. “I think that would make it worse.”

Tony laughed.

“Well, this is all just an idea, kid,” Tony grunted, standing up. He started gathering their emptied chip bags. “Let’s sit on this for a couple of weeks, okay? We’ll talk about it the next time we meet. It’s getting late.”

“Oh.” Peter checked his watch. 6:54pm. “Crap, I gotta go.”

“Don’t stress too much about it, kid,” Tony reminded as Peter hurriedly helped him clean up. “And remember, you don’t have to do this.”

“But I  _ want  _ to.”

Tony smiled sadly at Peter’s unaware back.

“Then you’re gonna have to make some sacrifices, Peter.”

* * *

 

“You’re gonna co-sign the Accords with Iron Man?” Ned repeated, eyes wide. Peter nodded, exchanging a look with MJ.

“Yeah. This is the best solution.”

“That’s  _ awesome _ .” A thought occurred to Ned. “Wait, how are you gonna explain that to your aunt?”

Peter groaned. MJ frowned immediately, latching onto the information.

“What’s the big deal? It’s just signing a legal document. Your aunt will understand.”

“It’s….complicated.”

“We’ve got all day. Explain.”

The trio were at Ned’s house. Peter had explained to Ned about MJ at school, and she had forced her way into their planned hangout the second she realized they were going to talk about Peter’s plan of action. MJ had been scrutinizing Peter’s webshooters, but now she ignored them in favor of pinning the webslinger with a hard stare.

“May and I got into a fight about….Spiderman,” Peter explained. He continued filling his web fluid containers as he talked, the FBI chase lingering in the back of his head. “It was pretty serious. When we made up, she came up with all sorts of demands for me. One of them is never seeing Mr. Stark ever again.”

“But you still see him.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, why didn’t you stop?”

“I can’t stop seeing Mr. Stark!”

“Peter, I don’t care if he’s a fucking superhero. You don’t answer to him. Why didn’t you just ignore him?”

“Because he’s  _ more _ than that, MJ!”

“What do you mean?”

“He—He’s  _ been _ there for me. Okay? He was at my side the whole time I was fighting with Aunt May. He’s always looking out for me. He teaches me. And he hangs out with me even when he doesn’t need to. MJ,” Peter sighed, running a hand through his hair. His stress levels were through the roof. “He’s my mentor, but it’s also more than that. Mr. Stark’s my  _ friend _ .”

MJ gave him a disbelieving look. Before she could say something else, however, Ned interrupted.

“Actually, Mr. Stark’s more like your dad, if you think about it,” he mused thoughtfully. It was Peter’s turn to scrunch his face in disbelief.

“What? Ned, what the hell?”

“I’m just saying, Mr. Stark’s like that one cool dad everyone loves. Super chill, let’s his kids do whatever they want as long as they tell him what they’re gonna do. But he also cares a lot. Not in an overbearing way. But in a sweet way.”

“What the fuck, Ned?” Peter hissed.

“What do you mean, nerd?” MJ asked, ignoring Peter’s scandalized look.

“I mean, he’s always calling or texting to check up on Peter,” Ned explained almost offhandedly. Peter blushed. “And he has this thing about feeding him. How many restaurants has he dragged you to?”

“I don’t know,” Peter mumbled sulkily.

“I think maybe ten,” Ned mused, frowning in thought. “That crepe place he found was really good, too. Oh, and MJ! Get this! They play fight sometimes!”

“Oh my god, Ned!” Peter screeched in embarrassment. MJ let out a huff of laughter, surprising the two of them. She smiled in amusement, raising an eyebrow.

“Really?”

“Yeah! Hey, I think I recorded it once when you brought me with you to the Compound that one time. Here, let me find it…”

“Ned!”

His two friends ignored him as Ned found the video and played it. Ned’s Stark Phone, courtesy of the man himself, immediately displayed the footage on a hologram. Peter groaned in mortification as he saw the video.

Peter and Tony were indeed playfully wrestling each other. Peeking through his fingers, Peter watched as Tony tussled with him on the nondescript lawn. He could have easily thrown the man off if he used his real strength, but that would’ve taken the fun out of it. Peter watched the video play with a pout as Tony knocked him to the ground, holding the teenager down with his body weight as he demanded something from him.

_ “Ack! Mr. Stark!” _

_ “I’ll only let up if you admit I’m better than you at Mario Kart.” _

_ “You wish you were better than me!” _

_ “What was that?” _

Tony then completely flopped on top of Peter, planting his full body weight onto the teenager. Peter squawked as he tried to wiggle out from under the dead weight on top of him.

_ “Mr. Stark, I can’t breathe!” _ Peter wheezed dramatically.

_ “If you can talk, you can breathe,” _ Tony said, looking up. He caught sight of the camera and grinned, winking.

_ “I’m dying!” _

_ “No, you’re not. Listen, Pete. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” _

_ “What’s the hard way?” _

_ “This.” _

Peter’s deafening screech rang through the room as Tony started tickling his sides. The real Peter in the room watched, fire seeping away from his face as he watched their antics on camera. Tony was grinning mischievously, still pinning Peter down with his knees. Peter, on the other hand, was close to tears as he futilely tried to bat away his mentor’s hands.

_ “I give, I give!” _

The trio watched as the two figures in the hologram rolled away from each other. Peter watched Tony sling an arm over his shoulders, the gesture familiar to him at this point. With a jolt, he realized just how far the two of them had come.

As the hologram faded away, Peter sighed and glanced over at MJ. Her face was carefully blank. Peter wished he knew what she was thinking.

“MJ?”

MJ looked at him.

“If you had told me Tony Stark was basically your pseudo-father, I wouldn’t have been all up in your face about trusting him,” MJ deadpanned. Peter felt the heat hit his face in full force again.

“He is  _ not _ my—!”

“I knew it wasn’t just me! And they’re so similar too, MJ! I swear, Peter could be Tony Stark’s long lost child or something.”

“Guys, can we go back to the issue at hand?” Peter asked desperately. MJ raised an amused eyebrow at him.

“You mean the issue of your aunt not wanting to share custody of you with your long, lost father?” she teased.

Peter groaned. Loudly. MJ threw his webshooter at him.

“Don’t give me that attitude, Parker,” she snickered. Then she sobered up. Nodding once to herself, MJ brought the group back on topic. “So. How to tell your aunt that you’re going to be co-signing the Accords with the man she told you to stay away from.”

Peter sighed.

“It’s impossible. There’s no way I can convince Aunt May.”

“There’s always a way, Parker,” MJ barked, giving him a stern look. “You just aren’t seeing it. You sure you don’t want to just tell her straight up?”

“The fact that she’s even allowing me to continue being Spiderman is a big leap, MJ. I can’t.”

“Then you’re gonna have to lie to her,” MJ said bluntly. Peter gave her a flabbergasted look.

“I can’t do that to her!”

“You’ve been doing it to her all this time, Peter,” MJ briskly snapped back. Peter winced. “You have a choice, Parker. It’s either the truth or the lie. Which one are you gonna take?”

Peter sighed, dropping his face into his hands. His two friends exchanged worried looks over his head. They waited patiently.

Finally, Peter lifted his head and stuck MJ with a determined expression.

“Lie.”

Ned winced.

“Pete, you know, if Aunt May ever finds out…” Ned paused, shaking his head. “The more lies you tell her, and the longer you keep them, the harder it’s gonna hit you when she finds out.”

“Then I just have to make sure she never finds out,” Peter replied stonily. Ned leveled him with a serious stare.

“Peter, your relationship with May is already pretty strained after the whole Spiderman reveal,” Ned gently reminded with a low voice. He gave Peter a look. “If she finds out….it’s going to destroy your guys’ relationship. You….You might not be able to fix it. Are you  _ sure _ you want to risk it?”

Peter let out a shaky breath. MJ frowned worriedly at him as Peter nodded.

“I’m sure,” Peter decided resolutely. He looked at both of them, emotions storming in his eyes. There was a sad smile on his face. “It’s….It’s the only way, Ned. I know she’s never going to let me continue being Spiderman if she finds out I’ve been lying about Mr. Stark. She….She won’t understand, because she doesn’t know Mr. Stark. And she’ll hate him even more because she’ll think that it’s all his fault again. May  _ hates _ him. But I can’t do this without him.”

“Do you really need to sign the Accords? MJ didn’t bully you into it, did she?”

MJ gave Ned a dark glare. Ned returned it, raising an eyebrow. The two had a silent battle with their eyes. MJ pursed her lips then shrugged.

“....Ned’s right. I bullied you into it. You can avoid this whole thing if you want to, Peter,” MJ conceded. Peter shook his head distractedly.

“I want to do this, guys. It wasn’t just MJ. Everyone needs to know that they can trust Spiderman. I’m doing this because people need to know they can rely on me as a hero, and that I will do everything in my power to protect them.”

MJ and Ned gave Peter considering glances. Then they nodded.

“Right, let’s get to it,” MJ announced, clapping her hands resolutely. “Peter, you suck at keeping things secret. I’m coming with you to talk this over with your aunt.”

“What?”

“I’ll come too!”

“Ned, you’re even worse. What was the excuse you used to get away during Homecoming? Oh yeah! You forgot to do homework, so you needed to head over to the computer labs.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“You forgot to do homework? On a Friday night?”

“O—Okay, I see your point.”

MJ turned to Peter. She clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I have a master poker face. And I’m the debate team’s ace. You can count on me, Parker.”

Peter smiled.

“Thanks, MJ.”

MJ smiled.

“Anytime, Parker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll just remind y'all that this fic is a year old and that I can write so much better than this now.


	3. Peter Parker, Perfidious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> perfidious(adj): deceitful and untrustworthy

The BIG LIE went like this:

Immediately after the whole FBI chase, Peter decided it would be too dangerous to continue patrolling with the constant threat of the American government. Additionally, he had found out from the internet that Tony was scheduled for talks with the Accords committee either tomorrow or the day after. Fearing the threat of the government, and scared that Tony might give his identity away since he hasn’t been in touch for a long time, Peter decided that action was needed immediately. 

After thinking it over, Peter was only able to come up with one certainty: Spiderman would have to sign the Accords. However, he couldn’t afford to give into the terms of publicizing his identity. After discussing the dilemma with MJ while doing Ms. Baker’s homework, they came up with the idea of cosigning. Which is where the issue of who the cosigner would be came up. Iron Man was the only one Spiderman knew that could qualify. They could stop Tony from giving away his secret identity, and at the same time get the government off Spiderman’s tail.

Iron Man was the only way for Spiderman to continue being a hero. So right now, they were going to ask for May’s permission over dinner. Once they got May’s permission, Peter would contact Tony for the first time since the Vulture incident and arrange a meeting to discuss the Accords with him.

MJ and Ned would would eat dinner with them at the same time as a buffer, for several reasons. Their presence would prevent the two Parkers from spiraling into a heated argument again and help Peter out if he came across a tough spot. But most of all, they’d also force May into a corner, giving her a shorter amount of time to think of a way out. 

Peter was so screwed.

He was such a bad liar. His poker face sucked. Stupid mistakes revealed Spiderman’s secret identity to Ned and May. Peter was just  _ bad at lying. _

But as the trio entered Peter’s apartment for dinner, finding May desperately waving away plumes of black smoke from the fire alarm, Peter found himself thinking over his patrols, the smiles, the multiple “thank you”s. He thought back to the Vulture, and Liz, and all the other people he helped in the past.

As he directed his friends to the couch, Peter felt his hardened resolve morph into the calmest mask of lies he had ever worn.

“Hey, May. So dinner…?”

May glared at Peter from the kitchen, stabbing her finger at him.

“Not one word.”

They ordered loads of Chinese for the night. Peter was settled comfortably on the sofa, with MJ between him and his aunt. May was grilling MJ with the usual questions one would ask a new face, since this was MJ’s first time coming to the apartment. Peter chimed in once in a while, but mostly stayed quiet, going over and over the lies they had concocted.

He knew May would notice.

He knew May would ask.

“Peter? Are you feeling okay, honey?”

Peter felt like a completely different person as he set down his take-out box and looked May in the eyes. He could feel Ned’s worried gaze on his back, and MJ’s slightly impressed glance from the corner of his eye.

“May. We need to talk. About Spiderman.”

May blinked at him. Then, she gave a wary glance to MJ.

“I already know, Ms. Parker,” MJ explained calmly. Her expression was controlled, giving nothing away. “I found out when he was changing into his suit after decathlon practice.”

“Maybe we should talk about this some other time, Peter,” May responded slowly, falling into her suspicious state. Peter subtly clenched his fists.

“We have to talk about it now, May. There’s no time,” he insisted. May frowned at him. Peter knew she’d probably think this was a set-up, and would immediately call him out on it then refuse to talk if MJ and Ned were around. So he calmly stopped her train of thought with one sentence.

“The government is after Spiderman, and they’re talking with Iron Man. Tony might give me away. So we need to act  _ fast. _ ”

The suspicion was wiped from May’s face in an instant, replaced by fear and worry.

“What do you mean? What’s wrong?”

Peter went on to explain the faux situation. The attack from the FBI. Finding out Tony was due for talks with UN officials either tomorrow or the day after. The resulting time crunch Peter was in. Holding an emergency meeting with MJ and Ned while May was at work. Coming to the solution of cosigning the Accords with Iron Man. How it was the only solution.

May was silently frowning after Peter’s spiel.

“I thought you had faith in Tony Stark, Peter,” May accused, narrowing her eyes at him. “Now you think he’ll give you away?”

Peter faked a nonchalant shrug.

“It’s been months, May. He probably forgot about me since we lost touch with each other. He wouldn’t care about my secret identity at all.” Peter felt bile build in his stomach at the slander he was spinning, but he pressed on neutrally. “We only knew each other for two months, after all.”

“Tch. I knew that man was bad news. Call him right now, and give me the phone. I’ll make sure he doesn’t even  _ think _ about giving your name to the authorities.”

“May, he’s a billionaire. And he’s Iron Man. What can you say that’ll change his mind?”

“Oh, I can think of a few choice words—”

“May, this is  _ serious _ !” Peter snapped. Everyone jumped at his raised voice. He could tell MJ and Ned were surprised and scared of how much he was putting into his act. How real it was.

God, if May ever found out this was all a lie. 

It would be Peter and May’s end.

“People could come after me! And you! It’s the UN, May! What’re you gonna do,  _ yell _ at them? They’d put me in a high-security prison and study me like I’m a lab rat!”

“Then why don’t you just quit this whole Spiderman thing?” May snapped back, clearly irritated. Peter felt the familiar cold, hard anger settle in his gut once again.

“Because I have a responsibility to the people.”

“No one is giving you that responsibility! It’s you who’s giving yourself these—these deluded notions of being a hero! It’s Tony Stark who told you to do this!”

“We’ve already discussed this, May. Tony didn’t tell me to do anything. I decided this myself. And we compromised.”

“Well, that was before the FBI was after you. You’re stopping Spiderman right now. End of story.”

Peter grit his teeth. Ned tapped lightly on his fists. He was gripping the couch’s armrest too hard.

“We came up with a way to get around the Accords,” MJ interrupted, deceptively calm. May gave her a suspicious glance. “Peter can co-sign the Accords with Iron Man. Tony already knows his name. If we can reach a compromise with Iron Man, we can keep the Accords Council off of Spiderman’s back.”

“Or you could stop this whole gimmick while you’re ahead.”

“They won’t care if Spiderman leaves the streets,” MJ calmly pointed out. The trio had thoroughly discussed this line of discussion. It was left to MJ to talk May through, to use her detachedness to combat May’s heated head, to exaggerate the situation surrounding the Accords and enhanced individuals. “The Accords require  _ all _ enhanced individuals to sign. Peter is one, and he’s already under their radar. Especially after Leipzeig. He operated outside of America on Iron Man's orders. If Spiderman disappears, they’ll hunt him down regardless. Label him a fugitive. Plus, Tony Stark would still be a problem. He can give Peter’s name even if he quits being Spiderman. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“What’s so bad about it, anyway?”

“They’ll take Peter away from you.”

May’s gaze hardened. MJ continued, undeterred.

“The governments are scared of enhanced individuals. They’ve already said they’ll lock up or closely monitor the ones they find who don’t come forward on their own. For Peter, they’ll lock him up because of his history as Spiderman. They don’t allow anyone to visit the ones they’ve already caught, Ms. Parker. There are no lawyers, no bail. You’ll lose Peter forever.”

May had fallen silent. Once MJ finished, a silence fell over the group. Peter took the time to finish his fried rice. The food was tasteless.

“....Peter needs to sign the Accords no matter what, Ms. Parker,” MJ told her quietly, putting on her best sympathetic voice. The girl placed a hand on the aunt’s shoulder. “It’s inevitable. They’re already looking for him. Tony Stark will tell them where Peter lives. They’ll come for him either tomorrow or the day after. He needs to sign so he doesn’t get thrown into jail.”

“....Fine. You need to sign the Accords. Why with Tony Stark?”

“So I can keep my identity hidden from the UN,” Peter responded. May frowned at him.

“Why do you need to do that?”

“So Spiderman can remain a secret. So the enemies I’ve made as Spiderman don’t come to our apartment in the middle of the night to kill me and you. So everything can continue as normal.”

“There’s no choice in the matter, May,” MJ said softly. “This is the only way.”

May stared at Peter, conflicted anger brewing in her eyes. Peter stared back, unwilling to give in. There was silence.

May sucked in a deep breath.

“....Fine.”

* * *

 

“You didn’t even need me here, dude,” Ned whispered to Peter as they got settled in for the night. May was out, driving MJ back to her home after she had immediately asked to be taken home after dinner. She had used the excuse that she had forgotten that her parents expected to be there half an hour ago, and all their phones were dead. Ned had hacked into May’s cell phone before they came, forcing it to overload the battery so they couldn’t use hers either when the time came. May was suspicious, but agreed to drive MJ back right after they threw away their trash.

That was also a strategic move on their part. Peter knew that May would want to confront him after dinner alone, separate him from his friends. After their talk, it was a guarantee that May would be on board with him cosigning the Accords with Iron Man.

What was still up in the air, however, was whether Peter could continue to be Spiderman after signing them.

May was still wholly against Peter going out as Spiderman. And after these talks, that displeasure would have only grown. Peter’s aunt was bound to be hell bent on getting Peter to stop his vigilantism right after dinner. So they needed to make sure she wouldn’t get the chance to be alone with him.

MJ needing a drive home took away the opportunities after dinner. Ned staying for a sleepover took away the opportunities after May returned. Peter and Ned needed to be fast asleep by the time May got back. May wouldn’t want to wake Peter up in the middle of the night for a discussion, especially one that was bound to be heated, because there was the danger of waking Ned up. As for the morning, May needed to go to work before Peter woke up. And Peter had been constantly avoiding May ever since homecoming anyway, giving her the fewest possible opportunities to talk to him about Spiderman. 

Spiderman would be safe. Peter would make sure of that.

“You’re here to prevent me and May from getting into an argument in the middle of the night, Ned,” Peter whispered in the darkened room.

“I guess.”

Ned fell asleep quickly after that. Peter made sure he was fully asleep before grabbing his phone. MJ lived in another borough, so May wasn’t due back for almost half an hour.

Peter dialed Tony. He felt strangely vulnerable and wrung out as he laid back against his pillows and looked up at the bunk bed above him. After only the first tone, there was a click.

_ “Hey, kid,” _ Tony greeted. There was the clang of something metal. The man was probably tinkering in his lab, testing upgrades for the Iron Man suit. _ “What’s up? It’s awfully late. Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep right about now?” _

“Yeah, I will in a sec. I just needed to tell you about Aunt May.”

_ “Oh?” _

“She agreed to the whole cosigning thing. But she still doesn’t know I’ve been talking to you since forever. So if she ever manages to get ahold of you…”

Tony was eerily silent on the other end.

_ “...Peter, I have a feeling you did a lot more than just convince her. What did you do?” _

Peter pressed his lips together before delving into the entire scheme, keeping an eye on the clock. After he finished giving Tony a 5 minute rundown of their elaborate plan, he heard Tony take in a deep breath.

_ “Peter. This isn’t like you.” _

“What do you mean?”

_ “Lying. Plotting an entire sequence of events to cover your tracks. Manipulating your aunt. I don’t like this thing you’ve gotten yourself into.” _

Peter sighed, running his hand over his face.

“I know, Mr. Stark. But there’s no other way.”

_ “You can talk with your aunt, Peter—” _

“I  _ tried _ . I’ve tried so many times, Mr. Stark. You  _ know  _ this. But she won’t change her mind about Spiderman. And I’m not changing mine either. No matter what anyone says, I’m keeping Spiderman.”

There was silence for a while, only broken by the sound of breathing. Peter hoped Tony wouldn’t betray him now. Not after he had just lied to May’s face and manipulated her. Not when he was currently feeling like the lowest of the low.

“Mr. Stark, please,” Peter pleaded, voice cracking a bit as tears welled in his eyes. “Please. I need you on my side for this. I can’t—I won’t give up Spiderman no matter what. I can’t stop—Not when there are people out there like the Vulture. And not when there are bad guys the Avengers can’t touch. I know you’re limited in how much you can do now because of the Accords. So I have to help the people who you won’t be able to reach.” Peter took in a shaky breath.

“I lied to Aunt May because people need Spiderman. I know people are out there who’re going to be worse than Liz’s dad. And you might not be able to step in. I’m the only one who can. So I can’t give up Spiderman, Mr. Stark. No matter what May thinks, or what the government thinks. Not even you can stop me. But I need you with me. Because—”

Peter thought back to when he first started out as Spiderman. The lies he had to spin that soured his gut. The many times he wished he could talk to someone but no one was there. 

The loneliness. 

He thought back to how hard to was to stay away from Tony, or how close the two had gotten. The understanding they had between them. Their growing relationship with each other. Imagining all of that being taken away once again put a heavy feeling in his heart.

“....I don’t want to be alone. And I don’t want to lose you.”

_ “....I know, kid. I know.” _ Tony murmured after a while. The engineer sighed heavily. Peter could picture Tony’s tired face at the Compound.  _ “I know you won’t stop. I won’t make the mistake of leaving you again. I’ve got your back, buddy. I don’t like where this thing with your aunt is going, or how far you’re traveling to maintain it. But I’m always going to be here for you. No matter what, Peter.” _

Peter smiled in relief. A few tears slid down his temple and into his pillow.

_ No matter what. _

“....Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never realized how short this chapter was until I pasted it here.
> 
> Chapters 3 & 4 were written much more recently. They don't completely show my new style of writing, but they're a good indication of it. I'm a lot more humorous, I swear.


	4. The Final Stretch

It really was a big affair.

Tony had been talking to the Accords representatives for almost two weeks now, trying to get them to accept the compromise. He really was a master negotiator. When Peter walked into Mr. Mason’s class a few days before he was due at the Compound again, he found a livestream of Tony debating with the Accords Council playing at the front of the class.

“Woah. This is really happening,” Ned whispered to him, awestruck gaze on the screen as they took their seats. Everyone in the class was absorbed in the livestream. Tony was being the erratic, flamboyant person the public knew him to be as he butted heads continuously with the councilmen.

_ “—Mr. Stark, the vigilante Spiderman has no right to demand such a thing of this council. All enhanced individuals must sign the Accords without exception—” _

_ “—And he will!” _ Tony interrupted, face charmingly bright with his Cheshire cat grin.  _ “Just with my name next to his.”  _ Tony was dressed for business in a dark gray pinstripe suit, sunglasses over his eyes as was usual with his public appearances. The billionaire was sitting alone in a comfy plush chair, facing a crowd of 197 UN officials. 

Peter gulped, seeing the cold and suspicious faces that Tony was single-handedly battling at the moment. Their dead gazes were enough to give him chills through the screen. If Peter was the one facing them, he was sure he’d fall apart within a second.

“Is Spiderman really going to sign the Accords with Iron Man? That’s so sick!”

“I wonder why he’s doing it now, though.”

“Maybe he watched the video we did all those weeks ago, too?”

“He’s probably been talking with some officials this whole time.”

“But then the FBI would’ve never carried out that stunt two weeks ago.”

“Everybody’s talking about it,” Ned whispered to him. The whole class was enraptured in the debate, not even flinching from the sound of the school bell signaling the start of class. Peter locked eyes with MJ, who gave him a discrete thumbs up as Mr. Mason entered the room.

“I’ve never had to tell anyone to pay attention this whole day,” Mr. Mason remarked as he sat at his desk. He waved at the projector screen nonchalantly. “Anyway, this could be the addition of a new signee to the Accords. We’ll be watching the livestream for the entirety of this class period. 

“As I hoped you noticed in the current news, this debate has been going on for two weeks. Tony Stark has brought a proposition to the Accords committee from Spiderman. In exchange for his signature, Spiderman is asking that his identity and information be kept secret. Tony Stark has asked that all information regarding Spiderman be kept with him alone. Take notes on the different points made between the committee and Tony Stark. We’ll be following this issue for the rest of the week, and maybe we’ll have an in-class debate tomorrow.”

There were no protests today. Peter quietly took out his materials, listening raptly to the digital figures on the screen.

_ “According to the meager information you’ve given to us about Spiderman, you characterize him as a B-Level threat. Is this correct?” _

_ “Yep.” _ Tony was amazingly laid-back even amongst the entirety of the Accords committee. But when he looked closer, Peter noticed that behind the sunglasses, Tony was watching every single councilman’s face closely, careful and wary.  _ “He can lift around 10 tons in weight. His mutation allows him to stick to walls. And he’s pretty muscley, despite looking like a damp noodle on a thread. But he’s a pretty young superhero, and doesn’t really plan things out. He’s more the type of guy to just jump right into protecting someone.” _

_ “The Accords are meant to limit his actions, Mr. Stark. If he has that kind of demeanor, then that’s even more reason for us to know his identity. He needs to be held accountable.” _

God, this was nerve-wracking. Peter had the feeling everyone else in the class was relaxed, listening out of interest and curiosity. For him, this was his fate being debated. Sweat was collecting in his palms from the anxiety.

_ “I’ve been doing that plenty already. Ever since I found him. I do everything you guys do for me. Tracking, monitoring, dealing out punishment when he screws up. You know the works.” _

_ “I’m assuming you mean the Staten Island Ferry Incident mentioned in these files. What kind of punishment did you give him exactly?” _

_ “Oh, I grounded him! For about, what, half a month? I can’t remember. There was a period where Spiderman went missing after the ferry incident. That was my doing. I held him accountable for his actions, and cleaned up after him as well. Fixed the ferry. Covered whatever costs came up with repairs or injuries. Everything came out okay!” _

_ “That doesn’t seem to have been suitable punishment, considering he crashed your plane on Coney Island right after he came out of it.” _

Peter winced. Ned placed a soothing hand on his shoulder.

_ “On the contrary, I think it worked fine. There were no injuries for Coney Island. And the only notable property damage was Avengers property! Which, to be honest, is practically expected at this point.” _

_ “There are mentions of a building structure collapsing on the same night in connection with Spiderman—” _

_ “Spiderman didn’t cause that. The Vulture did, with his homemade metal wings powered by Chitauri power cores. No civilians were inside either. And besides, the structure was abandoned. No one came forward demanding payment for the damage, so I assumed there was nothing to be settled there.” _

Peter never really told Tony about how he had caught the Vulture. He was surprised. Even when he woke up in a panic about crushing concrete debris and Tony calmed him with soothing words, he had never told him. Peter wondered if he had always known, or if he just recently did the research to prepare for this debate.

_ “And the incident of a stolen and wrecked car?” _

Oh. Peter forgot about that.

“That’s my car they’re talking about!” Flash yelled. Everyone shushed him.

“It’s your dad’s car, doofus,” MJ snarked. Before Flash could argue otherwise, she continued. “Remember Ashley? Your date for homecoming? She told everyone about it.”

Flash grumbled, falling silent out of shame. Peter returned his focus to the screen.

_ “That was just some wannabe joyrider and carjacker dressed as Spiderman,” _ Tony dismissed, flicking his hand carelessly.  _ “Didn’t I tell you? I keep track of him at all times through his suit. And he was definitely not speeding down New York traffic that night.” _

“What?! It was totally him!”

_ “Yet the incident aligns with the timeline. And the car was found right outside the collapsed building structure that you say Spiderman was in.” _

_ “Spiderman was in the neighborhood tracking down Adrian Toomes. The carjacker happened to pass by the location. Spiderman tried to stop the man from crashing, but it was too late.” _

_ “And why did he not turn in the thief? Or get them to a hospital?” _

_ “Spiderman couldn’t stop the crash, but he was able to save the guy. The Vulture was operating on a strict time table, though. So Spiderman was forced to let him go.” _

_ “Even when he is known for webbing up his criminals and leaving them behind?” _

_ “It was a desolate area. No one would find him come morning.” _

_ “Why not come back after dealing with the Vulture?” _

_ “Spiderman knew that fighting the Vulture was at a level a bit above his pay grade. He acknowledged the possibility that he wouldn’t be able to return afterwards.” _

Peter was amazed by how well Tony was defending him. There was a pause as the council members glanced at one another, collectively thinking of a new plan of attack.

_ “On the issue of punishment, you say you grounded him?” _

_ “That’s right. Kept him off the streets. Took the suit for good measure.” _

_ “And he is guaranteed to comply if you, in the future, tell him to stop his vigilantism?” _

_ “Oh, definitely.” _

Peter snorted quietly, smiling. Tony was wearing a secretive little smile. He was probably sharing Peter’s exact same thoughts.

Like hell Spiderman would listen to anything Iron Man told him. If he saw wrong, he was jumping in. Approval or disapproval unheeded.

_ “Why do you believe that is a guarantee?” _

_ “I’m Iron Man. I can wrestle him into submission if need be. But it would never come to that. Spiderman is a good person.” _

_ “And you would win if such an incident arises?” _

_ “I’m an Avenger. Of course I would.” _

_ “You say that, yet you were unable to secure Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.” _

Peter saw Tony’s eyes turn cold.

_ “I gave you Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, and Scott Lang. Four out of six. I’d say that’s a good catch.” _

_ “They escaped their confinement.” _

_ “It’s not my fault you can’t keep them in jail.” _

_ “It’s been over a year since then, and you haven’t shown any progress in their recapture—” _

_ “This meeting isn’t about the Rogue Avengers. It’s about Spiderman. He’s not Avengers level, otherwise I would have added him to the team. I can easily overpower him. Plus, I control his tech.” _

Peter gripped his pencil, watching the screen nervously.

_ “And he came to me of his own volition, having heard the cries of the people,” _ Tony continued.  _ “Spiderman can be controlled. He’s willing to be kept in check. You don’t need to worry about him becoming a threat.” _

_ “And if he does?” _

_ “Then that falls on me,” _ Tony declared.  _ “I’m committed to Spiderman’s proposal of a compromise. I have faith in him, so much that I’m willing to take the heat if he messes up. I’m putting my name down to be held accountable in his place. So can we please stop with the grilling and get to the signing?” _

_ “What’s to say he won’t take advantage of this cosigning situation and wreak havoc in New York City?” _

_ “I wouldn’t sign my name next to someone I didn’t trust.” _

Peter felt a little bit of red bloom on his cheeks.

_ “Mr. Stark, in regards to the terms you have added yourself,” _ a woman started, flipping through some pages in her file folder.  _ “You have asked that all information regarding Spiderman be collected and kept by you and you alone. May I ask the reason why?” _

_ “It’s a precaution. Spiderman is being considered as a candidate to the Avengers in the future, whenever he is ready. After the discovery of HYDRA within SHIELD, I’m wary of government officials having access to his records while he’s a pending candidate.” _

_ “It seems you and him have reached an agreement yourselves before coming here. Which means, Mr. Stark, you were collaborating with an enhanced individual outside of the Accords. How can we trust you after this fact?” _

_ “You make it sound so treacherous. Spiderman and I had a pleasant conversation over tea and biscuits. He told me his concerns and we eventually reached a compromise. All of our talks revolved around reaching a solution that would ultimately result in him signing his name on your 2-inch stack of wordy, yet vague, rules. There was no under-the-table talking going on.” _

_ “Mr. Stark, you have no rights to propose cosigning legislation to the council—” _

_ “But I deserve it. I’m the strongest person you have under the Accords. You’re using me to hunt down the ex-Avengers. Hell, I’m the only one even capable of bringing them in. So I’m basically operating as your little police force for your hunky stack of dead trees. Going off of that, I believe I deserve some say in things once in a while.” _

_ “It is expected of you to hold your former teammates accountable.” _

_ “And where in the Accords does it say that?” _

All the committee members looked disgruntled. Peter grinned as the Tony on screen smirked at all of them.

_ “I don’t really have to do the things I do for you in regards to the Accords. I can easily stop right now. Stop the search for the ex-Avengers, stop limiting the places they can run to. All it takes is a simple word from me, and FRIDAY will stop Operation: Gotta Catch ‘Em All.” _

_ “You haven’t shown us any progress.” _

_ “But I am the only one capable of progress.” _

There were displeased faces on the councilmen. But there was a sense of hesitation among them. Considering his words. Tony continued, voice smooth and alluring and sweet as honey as he finally threw in his last piece of bait.

_ “Spiderman has the people’s favor. If you get his name, you get the people.” _

The people on the screen devolved into murmurs, mumbling to one another. Peter clenched his hand. Ned gripped his shoulder. MJ kept her eyes solidly on the projector screen.

Eventually, one of them stood up.

_ “I nominate we end the debate and cast a vote to accept Spiderman and Mr. Stark’s proposal,” _ the woman declared. The murmurs rose in volume, but a few other members rose with her.

_ “I second the nomination.” _

_ “I add my approval as well.” _

_ “Then let us begin the voting, gentlemen. May the representatives of Sokovian refugees host and count the votes?” _

_ “We accept the stand. As of March 12, 20XX, 2:36pm, the Sokovia Accords Committee will hold a vote to determine the approval of a proposal put forward by Tony Stark, a signatory of the Accords for his activities as the Avenger Iron Man, on behalf of the New York City vigilante Spiderman. May all representatives gather their cards?” _

This was it. Peter held his breath.

_ “We will now begin the voting. Starting from the American representative, Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross.” _

The Secretary of State stood up. Peter saw the man give Tony a nasty look. Tony didn’t even flinch under his glare.

_ “No.” _

_ “State Secretary Bart Yower.” _

_ “No.” _

_ “Representative Ashley Primeva.” _

_ “Yes.” _

They went around the room. There was a sizeable amount of “yes” and “no” votes, enough to keep Peter on edge. Peter bit his lip as they circled through the room. A graphic appeared on the livestream, counting the votes as they came in.

_ “King T’Challa of Wakanda.” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “All votes have been recorded. After a final check, the votes come in 118-79, in favor of approving the proposal. The Accords Council hereby accepts Spiderman’s proposal, with Tony Stark as his cosigner in exchange for the recognition of his terms. I turn the floor back to councilwoman Ashley Primeva to continue with the proceedings.” _

_ “Thank you.” _

The class roared in excitement. Peter stayed sitting, dumbly watching the screen with wide eyes as his classmates celebrated around. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening. That it worked.

_ “The Accords Council would like for Spiderman to be present for signing the legislation, along with Tony Stark, America’s State Secretary Thaddeus Ross, and King T’Challa of Wakanda. Further details will be discussed after adjourning this meeting. We will reconvene next week March 16th at 10:30am on the issue of the Rogue Avengers. Meeting adjourned.” _

* * *

 

Later that night, while Peter was out on his usual patrol after finishing his homework, Karen put a stop to his story of Flash accidentally setting off the fire alarm during Chemistry by the appearance of Tony’s icon on his HUD.

_ “Incoming call from Tony Stark.” _

_ “Hey, kid.” _

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” Peter greeted peppily, coming to a stop atop an empty office building overlooking a park. He slid his feet over the edge, letting them dangle as he sat back on his hands and allowed the video call to take up the majority of his screen. “You were amazing with the Accords Committee today!”

_ “You watched?” _

“During one of my classes. We’ve been revisiting the Accords in Mr. Mason’s class. He let us watch the livestream. We were there for the end of it, too.”

_ “That’s nice. They sure weren’t teaching me about the happenings of the real world when I was in high school. It was all formulas and procedures and patriotic bull—” _

“Before you go off on a trip down memory lane, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

Peter grinned cheekily underneath his mask as Tony glared at him through his phone screen.

_ “You’re on thin ice, Parker.”  _ Nevertheless, he got back on track.  _ “When you come over to the Compound this week, come in your spider suit. Don’t bring anything else with you. Happy will pick you up from school, and he’ll stop by your apartment so you can drop off your stuff and change. Then he’ll bring you up to the Compound.” _

“Why?”

_ “You’ll be signing the Accords on Friday. Assuming you still want to keep a tight seal on your identity, and that Ross still harbors a hatred for anyone who transcends the bounds of a normal human, you’re better off not bringing anything that could trace back to Peter Parker, high school extraordinaire.” _

Peter frowned.

“I can’t just leave it in the car?”

_ “You were attacked by FBI agents a few weeks ago, Pete. Put the dots together.” _

“But the UN already agreed to the cosigning, didn’t they? Why would they try to find out who I am while I’m signing them?”

_ “Because it was a 118-79 vote count. And one of those ‘no’ votes belongs to Secretary Ross, who has a stick up his ass and refuses to let go even when he’s told to.” _

“Really?”

_ “Let’s just say that Ross’ pressure was on of the reasons behind driving the Avengers to that shitstorm in Germany. And to top it all off, he’s not one to let go of personal grudges.” _

Peter nodded slowly.

“Okay. I won’t bring anything. What’re you doing tonight, Mr. Stark?”

_ “Just working on nanotech. These things have a lot of potential, but damn, they’re a bitch to work with.” _

“Really?”

_ “Really. It’s millions of tiny, nano-sized bots, Parker. What’d you expect?” _

Peter hummed in acquiescence, watching Tony’s fluttery demeanor as the inventor worked on something out of his view in his lab. He took in the rapid-fire responses his mentor had given him over the past few minutes, characteristically sharp for Tony Stark, but uncharacteristic for Peter’s Tony.

“You’re worried.”

_ “I’m always worrying. That’s nothing new, Parker.” _

“You’re worried about the aftermath of me cosigning the Accords with you.”

Tony gave him a baleful look through his phone.

_ “Stop being perceptive. It doesn’t suit the dumb, high school nerd image you’re supposed to embody.” _

“Everything’s going to be fine, Mr. Stark.”

Tony didn’t even attempt to deflect smoothly.

_ “Be punctual on Friday. Happy’s probably going to be stressed beyond hell already, which doesn’t make sense because he already got promoted to asset management like he wanted. Why’s he still bothering with security? Especially when it’s not in Stark Industries’ jurisdiction. Anyway, finish up your patrol, kid. Get some sleep.” _

“I will.”

Tony hung up. Peter shook his head and leaped off the rooftop, starting on the route back home.

* * *

 

“Holy shit, that’s a lot of people.”

“Language.”

Peter peered through the lenses of his mask at the crowd of press hovering on the lawn of the Avengers Compound. They were milling about, checking equipment or engaging in conversation as they waited to be let in. Peter estimated about 70 people.

“Why’re there so many?”

“It’s Tony. Cosigning with a street-level hero who hardly steps outside of New York. Everybody’s curious,” Happy replied as he drove the car into a connected garage.

As the rumble of the garage doors ceased, Happy turned off the engine. Before Peter could get his hands on the door handle, Happy turned to him and fixed him with a glare.

“Listen, kid,” Happy snapped, and Peter got a moment to prepare himself for a tough love lecture from the driver. “Some of the people you’re about to meet are vultures. Especially those press reporters. The politicians, sure, whatever, Boss could tell you more about that front. But the point is, don’t go off rambling when you get pressured into a corner. I don’t know how carefully fabricated the story Tony gave to the Council is, or how much of it was bullshit, but the second you blow a hole in it, this entire thing goes to shit. Or so I’m told.”

“O—Okay—”

“Got it? No nervous babbling. Tony’s gonna be right there beside you the entire time. If things get dicey, let him handle it. He’s better at this whole word game thing that they do.”

“A—Alright.”

“Good. Now get out. I want to check in with the security head here.”

Peter quickly scrambled out, slamming the door and bolting to the exit of the garage before Happy could find inspiration to fuel another rant. When he slid into the elevator, FRIDAY’s voice echoed in the small space.

_ “Welcome, Spiderman.” _

“Hey, FRIDAY. Mr. Stark really did think through everything, huh?”

_ “Mr. Stark was very thorough in his preparations. He has asked that you be taken to the upper levels, and that you be directed to one of the conference rooms. Will that be alright?” _

“Uh, could I take a detour through the kitchen first? I wasn’t able to eat much lunch today.”

_ “Certainly.” _

“Thanks. Also, Karen, could you turn on my voice modifier?”

_ “FRIDAY has already ordered its activation upon your entrance into the Compound’s grounds.” _

“Wow, Mr. Stark.”

Ten minutes later, Peter was walking through the conference doors while holding a family-sized bag of chips and a juice box. Tony looked up at his entrance and sighed.

“Really?”

Peter mimed his offense.

“Hey, we’re going over a 2-inch stack of wordy, yet vague, rules. What do you expect?”

Tony shook his head at him, turning to his phone for a moment. A second later, a text message appeared in Peter’s vision.

_ Don’t pull up your mask until Ross leaves. Leave the chips for later. _

Peter shot Tony a wounded look, but with the mask on, it didn’t come through. Tony completely ignored him as he turned back to the people seated at the table.

“So this here is Spiderman,” he introduced flippantly, waving a careless hand in his direction. “Kind of an idiot, but whatever. More hands on deck, am I right?”

“Hey!”

“Spiderman.” Peter turned to the old man who had spoken. Dressed in a primly pressed suit with a carefully groomed appearance, Secretary Ross was just as intimidating in person as he was on screen. “How nice of you to be here.”

“Uh, thanks?” Peter didn’t have the head to try and pick apart what he could tell was a passive aggressive greeting. The teenager turned to the others in the room, recognizing them from the research he had done beforehand. “Good afternoon, uh, miss. Are you one of the representatives for Sokovian refugees?”

The woman in question smiled politely at him.

“Indeed. My name is Vivian Kleimtoff. You may call me Vivian.”

“Cool. Uh, nice to meet you, Ms. Vivian.” Peter didn’t know what to do with the stoic faces around him. The atmosphere was so stifling. He turned to the other man in the room with a lot more curiosity. “And King T’Challa. It’s nice to finally meet you. Y’know, in person and without anyone fighting.”

“Spiderman,” T’Challa greeted, regal and calm in his conference chair. Peter squinted at the king’s perfectly tailored suit. He wondered where the Black Panther suit was. And if the king kept it with him all the time. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Okay, now that introductions are out of the way,” Tony interrupted briskly. He gestured for Peter to take a seat next to T’Challa. Peter did so, hesitant to be seated next to the king. Was he supposed to address him royally? Or ask for permission? “Spiderman’s gone through the Accords already. With me. But since people doubt my understanding of the legal language—which is entirely understandable, I will admit—I called him here a bit earlier so you can grill him on his understanding of the stack of papers that doesn’t need a paperweight because of how heavy it is.”

While he was talking, Tony gradually walked around the table to sit next to Peter. His proximity comforted him. Peter wanted to shoot his mentor a grateful look, but the constant eyes of Secretary Ross prevented him from doing so. 

“So. Spiderman, was it?”

“Uh, yes?”

“Is the mask really necessary for this conversation? You can take it off. This is a safe space.”

Peter fidgeted in his chair.

“Uh, no offense, Secretary Ross, but I’d feel more comfortable with my mask on. I’m kinda shy, y’know?”

“There is nothing to be afraid of. You’re in the Compound, surrounded by allies. Why are you so wary?”

Peter resolutely didn’t look to Tony for comfort, trying to maintain the image of distance between them.

“Just….reasons,” Peter trailed off.

“I find it hard to trust a vigilante who thinks it necessary to wear a mask and voice modifier in the Avengers Compound. Don’t you?”

“This debate has long been over, Secretary Ross,” T’Challa answered smoothly. Peter couldn’t stop himself from gaping at the Wakandan king in awe. How was he so comfortable? “Please stick to questions regarding his understanding of his legal constraints.”

“Of course,” Ross replied, a little gruffly. He turned back to Peter. “So, Spiderman. You don’t seem that old. Are you attending college? Or working, perhaps?”

“Away from the questions of identity, Ross,” Tony warned, with a bemused but dark look in his eyes.

“I’m just getting to know the spider, Stark. What’s wrong with that?”

“What’s wrong is that we are due for a press appearance in 10 minutes. So chop-chop.”

“Maybe if you had brought Spidey here a bit earlier, we wouldn’t be pressed for time then, hm?”

“Indeed. That’s a shame, isn’t it?”

The two of them stared at each other. Peter tried not to fidget, but the growing silence was growing to be a bit too much. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Vivian shift uncomfortably.

“Are you okay, Ms. Vivian?” Peter couldn’t help asking. Vivian jumped, momentarily taken aback, before regaining herself.

“I’m quite alright, thank you. It’s just, I’ve been parched since coming here—”

“Would you like my juice? It’s strawberry kiwi flavored.”

Vivian’s lips curled into an amused smile.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Peter slid the juice box over to the woman. Tony held back a snort.

“Yeah, this is what I’m telling you about. Spiderman’s good deeds consist of helping old ladies cross the street and saving kittens from tall trees.”

“It’s helpful,” Peter muttered under his breath. His super-hearing picked up what he couldn’t believe was a huff of amusement from T’Challa.

“Regardless, he is still an enhanced individual,” Ross added, bringing the attention back to him. Peter couldn’t help but think this guy was the killjoy at all the parties. “Spiderman. Do you understand what restrictions the Accords place on individuals like you?”

“Uh, yes,” Peter replied, a bit thrown off by the man’s strange choice of wording. He felt like an actual insect. “I have to be monitored, have to stay within American borders—not like that’ll be an issue—and—”

“You say that, but what of Germany?”

“Uh—”

“Again, Ross. I’m telling you. You don’t want to try and use Germany against him,” Tony interrupted, earning a disgusted look from Ross. “You haven’t quite gotten out of the German government’s naughty list for sponsoring an attempt at retrieving the ex-Avengers in one of their airports.”

“That was because of you, you son of a—”

“Gentlemen,” Vivian interrupted, fixing both of them with a glare. “Please. Focus on the issue of the Accords. I don’t want to have to remind you again.”

“Of course, Miss Kleimtoff,” Ross responded, sugar sweet. Judging from the look on Vivian’s face, Peter could guess Ross’ attempts at gaining her favor wasn’t working. “I apologize. Spiderman. Continue reciting your duties as a signatory of the Accords.”

“Okay, jeez, man. No need to get so pissy about it,” Peter mumbled before thinking. This time, T’Challa couldn’t hold in his snort. Tony whacked the back of his head. “Ow! I’m sorry!”

“Just go,” Tony ordered stiffly, evidently trying not to smile. 

“Okay! Okay! Uh.” Ooh, was it just him, or was Ross glaring at him even more now? “Uh, don’t go outside of the borders. My location is tracked all the time. Mr. Stark’s got all of that down—”

“Would you follow Tony Stark’s orders if he were to give them?” Ross interrupted. Peter blinked.

“Well, yeah—”

“You would follow them? No matter what?”

“Really, Ross—?”

“Be quiet, Stark. This meeting is for Spiderman only, isn’t it? So sit back and shut your trap.”

Peter frowned as Tony struggled with whether or not to continue speaking.

“Hey, that’s kind of mean.”

“Answer the question, Spiderman. Would you?”

“I mean, to a certain degree. Is this like one of those times you have to be really specific about what you mean? I’ll do whatever Mr. Stark tells me to do, so long as it’s not, well, bad.”

Ross scoffed.

“‘Bad’?”

“Yeah, bad,” Peter continued, ignoring the obvious sass in the secretary’s voice. He gestured with his hands aimlessly. “Y’know, like, if Mr. Stark asks me to kill a person. Which I’m sure he wouldn’t. But if he did ask that, I wouldn’t do it because that’s bad. Same thing goes for the Accords. If what Mr. Stark asks doesn’t align with the Accords, I won’t do it.”

Vivian looked vaguely impressed. Ross just looked angry.

“How about if he told you to stop your vigilantism? Would you let go of it so easily with your conceited head—”

“Secretary,” T’Challa interrupted calmly, gaining the room’s attention. “I believe you have all the answers you need, yes?”

“What? No—!”

“Spiderman clearly understands his responsibilities and his standing in accordance with the Sokovia Accords. There is no need to question him further.”

“Your highness, with all due respect—”

“I suggest you take a few minutes outside to cool your head,” T’Challa plowed on, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. “We have a press conference to attend soon.”

In the face of the Black Panther’s cold and indifferent gaze, Ross huffed and stormed out of the room. Vivian quietly got up once the door slammed, nodding to the other three occupants and fixing Peter with a small smile.

“Thank you for the juice, Spiderman. I’ll see you all in a bit. I’d like to make some calls first.”

“Oh. Of course. See you,” Peter stammered as Vivian waved goodbye. Once she stepped out of the room, the door sliding shut behind her, Peter turned to Tony.

“That was really scary,” Peter confessed. Tony snorted, reaching up to pat his head.

“You did good, Spider Baby.”

“I’m not a—!”

“FRIDAY, any bugs left by our favorite government official?”

_ “There are two unidentified objects in the room left by Secretary Ross. One is underneath the table. The other is underneath his seat.” _

Peter’s mouth fell open as Tony stood up and walked to the other side of the table. Tony got onto his knees for a moment, peering under the table and chair. He came back up holding two small black mics.

“Woah. Did we just get bugged? Like in the movies? That’s so cool!”

“Uh-huh. Of course you’d think that,” Tony responded distractedly as he dropped the mics on the table. Then, he pulled back his sleeve. Peter watched in amazement as Tony coaxed nanobots out of his wristwatch and formed a mini gauntlet around his hand. 

Then, Tony aimed his hand at the mics. Before Peter could say anything, Tony powered his repulsor and fired.

“Woah! Mr. Stark!” Peter protested, jumping back in his chair. He trained his wide eyes on the table, where the mics had been blasted into oblivion. The only clue to their existence was the small blast mark on the smooth surface. “You didn’t have to do that!”

“Of course I did. What, you wanted Ross to be listening in on our conversations?”

“No! I mean, you could’ve, like, crushed them under your heel or something! Not blast them!”

“Kid, you know me. I’m very thorough.”

“Oh, totally. Can I eat my chips now?”

Tony gave him a long-suffering sigh.

“Fine. FRIDAY, lock the door. And make sure no one is watching our security feed. In fact, take it offline right now.”

_ “Of course, boss.” _

Peter ripped off his mask after hearing the slight click from the door. It was then that he remembered the king sitting next to him.

“Oh. Shit.”

T’Challa gave him an amused curl of his lips.

“Hello, Spiderman.”

“Uh, hi. Wow. Sorry, I kind of forgot you were here. It’s just, Mr. Ross was really scary and—”

“Don’t worry about him, Pete. He’s Black Panther. He can keep a secret. He kept an entire country secret his entire life.”

“High praise from you, Mr. Stark.”

“Just call me Tony. Really grateful for your help.”

“It’s no bother.” T’Challa turned to Peter, who had hesitantly ripped open the bag of chips and was digging in. “If it is alright with you, may I ask your real name?”

“Oh. Peter. Peter Parker.”

“Hello, Peter. I am T’Challa.”

“Oh. Hi. Nice to meet you. Wait, I already said that—”

“Kid, just eat your chips before we go out.”

“Okay, Mr. Stark.”

“Did you have lunch?”

“Not really. MJ was drilling me about all the different aspects of the Accords during lunch.”

“She knows?”

“Yeah. I didn’t tell you? But it wasn’t for this. It was more for Mr. Mason’s class. We had an in-class debate about them. And MJ forced me to be her partner for our side.”

“An in-class debate? Isn’t that supposed to be half the class against another? Hunger Games style?”

“There are no teams in the Hunger Games, Mr. Stark. Just alliances. And MJ pretty much carried our entire team.”

“What side was it again?”

“Uh.”

At Tony’s expectant look, Peter caved.

“...Not accepting Spiderman’s cosigning proposal.”

Tony huffed in amusement.

* * *

 

Peter was led to a big press room in the Compound. All of the reporters from outside had evidently been screened for security threats, and were now crammed into the press hall. Peter tried to stamp down his nervousness as Tony gently pushed him up the stairs to the mini stage setup at the front of the room, with T’Challa following close behind.

Ross and Vivian were already there, standing off to the side. Peter uncomfortably avoided Ross’ glare as Tony muttered for him to take a seat at the table. In front of him was the huge stack that was the cause of all the attention for the past couple of weeks.

“So! Everyone!” Tony exclaimed, getting the room quiet in an instant. “You all came to watch us sign a huge stack of papers. Proud of you all, really. Doing a great thing with our right to press. Too bad you can’t see the papers. Here, Spidey. Hand me the pen.”

Peter, who was just about to uncap it and sign off, handed the pen over to Tony. Tony walked over and snatched it from his hands. He picked up the page with the signature lines, squinting at the print for a moment.

“....Ross. It’s supposed to be the page that lists me as a cosigner,” Tony said bluntly, putting the paper down to give Ross a deadpan look. “Isn’t that the entire point of this thing?” 

Peter glanced over the signing page and paled. Underneath the signature lines, Tony was listed as a separate signatory. To think Peter was just about to sign his identity away so easily.  _ Is this what they mean by the dangers of Terms & Conditions? _

A dark expression crossed Ross’s face before he put on a faux expression of surprise.

“There must’ve been a mix-up—”

“Evidently. Miss Vivian?”

“Oh, here. Please excuse me, I could’ve sworn I put the cosigner version up here,” Vivan quickly said, hurrying up the steps with her briefcase. She shuffled around the folders inside before pulling one of the papers out. “Here it is.”

“Thank you.” Tony took the paper, glancing over it briefly with a practiced eye. Peter was experiencing a severe case of whiplash as Tony plopped the paper down in front of him and quickly scrawled out his signature.

“Here you go, kid,” Tony muttered once he was done, handing the pen to Peter. Peter took it hesitantly, then positioned his hand over the page.

Then he paused.

“Wait, what do I put down?” Peter asked. Tony gave him an annoyed look.

“Your name, duh.”

“But—”

“You put ‘Spiderman’, kid. Exactly the way you sign it when you sign someone’s shirt or something.”

“I don’t give autographs, Mr. Stark.”

“For the love of—Just sign the damn Accords.”

Peter awkwardly wrote “Spiderman” in cursive. Once he was done, he debated drawing a little spider next to his alias, but Tony decided that for him by knocking the pen out of his hands carelessly.

“Okay, there it is. The Accords, everyone. Spiderman as a new signatory and all that ceremonial bullshit.”

“Mr. Stark!”

“Any questions you have for our newly initiated spider friend?”

* * *

 

_ “That was really anti-climactic,” _ Ned commented. Peter rolled his eyes as he got ready for bed.

“I know. I don’t really understand Mr. Stark sometimes.”

_ “Did you draw a spider next to your name?” _

“I was thinking about it, but Mr. Stark knocked the pen out of my hands before I could even try.”

_ “Damn. That’s a shame.” _

“Right?”

There was silence between the two friends for a moment as Peter snuggled into his blankets. Once he got comfortable, Peter grabbed his phone from his bedside table.

“Alright, Ned. I gotta go before Aunt May comes home—”

_ “Peter. Are you sure you can’t convince her?” _

Peter sighed heavily.

“Ned. Believe me. I know how bad it is,” Peter replied. He traced the pattern on the bunk above him lazily. “I  _ know _ . So believe me when I say there’s no other way.”

_ “What’re you gonna do when she finds out?” _

“Do you have  _ zero  _ faith in me?” Peter asked incredulously.

_ “It’s Aunt May, Peter. She knows everything about you. And you let her find out you were Spiderman by leaving your door open!” _

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Peter rubbed a hand over his face, sighing. “Look, things will work out fine. I got this.”

_ “But what will you do when it happens?” _

Peter mulled over it hesitantly. After a while, he replied in a small voice.

“If it happens, then I’m sure Mr. Stark will help me out. He always does.”

“...Okay. Night, Peter.”

“Night, Ned.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was the story? Granted, this story is over a year old. There’s a ton of stuff I could’ve done better now that I have a one year more of experience under my belt. I personally think it’s pretty boring, since it’s just telling the story of Peter figuring out a way to handle the issue of the Accords. But I just wanted to get this fic out of my drafts and out where people could enjoy it.
> 
> This fic is one out of an entire plotline in my head, where Aunt May doesn’t approve of Spiderman. I’m likely not going to write anything else from this particular viewpoint, given that we have Spiderman: Far From Home coming up and it just doesn’t seem all that interesting an idea to explore.
> 
> (On the issue of the Shocker guy left behind at Midtown—he got away. So the Accords Council really has no idea that Spiderman was the carjacker.)
> 
> I have a fic in the making for a post-Endgame world. If I do publish it, it’ll maybe be 10 chapters? I don’t know. I’ve written 4 huge ass chapters already, and it’s a huge fucking monster I hate it. But I think it’s an interesting idea people might take to.
> 
> Obviously, considering we’re still in the whole #Don’tSpoilTheEndGame period, I won’t be uploading it anytime soon. Maybe in June or something. Before Far From Home comes out.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this old ass story! I enjoy comments!
> 
> -Ronan


End file.
